Mariners Designate Stuart Fairchild For Assignment

The Mariners announced that outfielder Víctor Robles and left-hander Hoby Milner have both been reinstated from the family medical emergency list. In corresponding moves, right-hander Troy Taylor has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma and outfielder Stuart Fairchild has been designated for assignment. Fairchild, 30, was added to the roster five days ago to replace Robles. He didn’t appear in a game in that time. Now that Robles has returned, Fairchild has been bumped back off the roster. Since the trade deadline has passed, he will have to be placed on waivers. He just cleared waivers a month ago, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he cleared again. Rosters have expanded from 26 to 28 since then, which perhaps opens some space for him, but he wouldn’t be postseason eligible with any claiming team since the September 1 cutoff has passed. He would only be claimed if some club wanted to bolster their outfield bench for the final days of the regular season. His reputation is that of a glove-first outfielder. In 1,561 innings on the grass, he has been credited with 10 Defensive Runs Saved and 10 Outs Above Average. He also has 27 stolen bases in 34 attempts in his career. But in 697 plate appearances, he has a .221/.309/.377 line and 89 wRC+. That has led to him exhausting his options and becoming a fringe roster guy. He spent a few weeks with the Guardians earlier this year. He was designated for assignment, cleared waivers and elected free agency, which allowed the Mariners to sign him to a minor league deal. He was briefly on Seattle’s roster in August before being bumped off, clearing waivers, electing free agency and re-signing a new minor league deal. Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images View Comments (1)