Seattle Mariners Sign Veteran Luke Weaver, Make Several Injured List Moves

The Seattle Mariners have signed right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Weaver was designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 16, and eventually released on Aug. 18.

The Mariners are also set to bring rookie right-hander Bryan Woo off the 15-day injured list. To make room for Weaver and Woo on the active roster, Seattle optioned right-handed pitchers Eduard Bazardo and Darren McCaughan to Triple-A Tacoma.

In a related move, the Mariners moved rookie right-hander Emerson Hancock from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list just one day after he was placed there to begin with. As a result, Hancock is out for the remainder of the regular season.

Hancock will still be eligible to join Seattle's postseason roster, if they are able to hold onto one of the three AL Wild Card spots. The Mariners are also just 2.0 games out of first place in the AL West.

Weaver won't be taking Hancock's spot in the rotation, according to the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish. Instead, the 30-year-old veteran will be a long reliever for the Mariners, all while remaining available to make the occasional start down the line if necessary.

In 21 starts with the Reds this season, Weaver was 2-4 with a 6.87 ERA and 1.639 WHIP. Cincinnati continued to win despite his struggles, though, going 10-4 in his last 14 starts, during which he allowed a .322 batting average against and .976 OPS against.

Weaver spent the first three seasons of his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals, then went to the Arizona Diamondbacks for the next four. In 2022, the bounced around from the Diamondbacks to the Kansas City Royals and eventually the Mariners, where he spent three weeks in the offseason before getting non-tendered.

For his career, Weaver is 26-40 with a 5.16 ERA and 1.442 WHIP. Weaver owns a 6.04 ERA and 1.881 WHIP in 34 career relief appearances.

The Mariners are their shaken-up pitching staff are set to face the Chicago White Sox at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.