Kade Anderson arrives ahead of MLB debut; Seattle Mariners activate Carlos Vargas
Left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson throws in the outfield at T-Mobile Park in Seattle as he prepares to make his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, August 22. (Curtis Crabtree / FOX 13 Seattle)
SEATTLE - Top prospect Kade Anderson arrived in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse Friday afternoon ahead of his MLB debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, and reliever Carlos Vargas was activated from the IL.
Anderson has yet to be added to the roster, as that move will wait until Saturday. Anderson has been the best pitchers in all of minor league baseball by miles and is one of the top prospects in all of MLB. In 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas, Anderson has just a 1.06 ERA with an absurd 135 strikeouts to just 13 walks allowed in 93 ⅓ innings pitched.
"What an incredible season Kade Anderson has had down at the Double-A level," manager Dan Wilson said. "We’re extremely excited to have him here. It's extremely exciting to have him here, and you know we're excited to get him on the mound tomorrow, and you know I think it fits in well."
The backstory:
Anderson will wear No. 13 with the Mariners. He will become the first left-handed starter for Seattle since Jhonathan Diaz on June 11, 2024. The Mariners have had only 14 combined starts from left-handers since the start of the 2023 season. Marco Gonzales had 10, Robbie Ray and Tommy Milone had two, and Diaz had one.
Meanwhile, Vargas was activated from the 60-day injured list after missing nearly five months with a right lat strain. Right-hander Nick Davila was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma and Matt Brash was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
The timeline for Brash hasn't changed. It's purely a paper move to open a roster spot. He threw a bullpen session prior to Friday's game with the Cubs at T-Mobile Park.
Bryce Miller will start Sunday's series finale against the Cubs with the rotation afterward still unclear. Bryan Woo did not have any imaging done on his sore right shoulder. The Mariners don't believe the issue will be a concern for Woo, other than bumping him back from his scheduled start on Saturday.
"Bryan just needed a couple extra days, you know, coming out of that start in Houston — a couple extra days to recover," Wilson said. "We’ll figure out in the next day or so when we’ll slot Bryan in for his next start."
According to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, the Mariners plan to use a six-man rotation with Anderson joining the team. The six-man rotation earlier this season with Luis Castillo put extra strain on the bullpen going one arm down most mights, but rosters will expand on September 1 to allow the Mariners to supplement the six-man starting staff.
Featured
Seattle Mariners call up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson
The top pitching prospect in baseball will take the mound for the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, according to reports.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
MORE MARINERS NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Seattle Mariners call up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson
How to watch Saturday's Cubs vs. Seattle Mariners game on FOX 13
Seattle Mariners rebound with 7-5 win over Brewers
Seattle Mariners to celebrate Rick Rizzs Farewell Weekend for final series against Angels
Seattle Mariners suffer franchise-record defeat in 22-0 loss to Brewers
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.