Mariners Select Stuart Fairchild

The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Stuart Fairchild. He takes the active roster spot of fellow outfielder Víctor Robles, who has been placed on the family medical emergency list. To open a 40-man spot, outfielder Brennen Davis has been recalled on placed on the 60-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Fairchild got a very brief stint on Seattle’s roster earlier this year. He entered one game as a pinch runner and scored a run but then was designated for assignment shortly thereafter. He cleared waivers and elected free agency but then re-signed with Seattle on a minor league deal, which allowed the club to add him to the roster today. While Robles deals with a personal situation, Fairchild can step in. Fairchild is a glove-first outfielder. As a hitter, he has stepped to the plate 697 times as a big leaguer with a .221/.309/.377 line. That translates to an 89 wRC+, indicating he has been 11% worse than league average. But in 1,561 innings on the grass, he has been credited with matching grades of 10 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. He also has 27 steals in 34 attempts. The Mariners have Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, Taylor Ward, Dominic Canzone and Lázaro Montes in their regular outfield mix. Fairchild will likely be deployed as a late-game substitute for pinch-running and/or defensive purposes. He is out of options and might get squeezed off the roster when Robles comes back. Davis, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the offseason. He triggered an assignment clause in that deal in May, which prompted the Mariners to give him a 40-man spot, but they kept him on optional assignment. His last game played in the minors was May 29. Shortly after that, he was placed on the minor league injured list. It appears he is not expected back from that injury, as this move ends his season. When a player is moved from the 10- or 15-day IL to the 60-day IL, the 60-day count is retroactive to the initial IL placement. In an instance like this, where a player is on the minor league IL, it’s not retroactive. In other words, Davis’s 60-day count starts now, so he is done for the year. Though Davis’s assignment clause got him a 40-man spot, the unfortunate side effect is that he burned his final option season here in 2026. That means he will be out of options going into 2027. The one upshot is that he will get some major league pay and service time for the next few weeks. The IL goes away five days after the World Series. At that point, the Mariners will either have to put him back on the 40-man or cut him loose in some way. He was once a notable prospect with the Cubs and has often put up good numbers on the farm but he is still looking to make his major league debut, as various injuries have sidetracked him. He has never played more than 99 games in a minor league season and this will be his third straight year below 60. Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images