The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Patrick Wisdom. He will take the active roster spot of infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who has been placed on the paternity list. To open a 40-man spot for Wisdom, right-hander Blas Castaño has been designated for assignment.
Wisdom, 34, gets back to the majors for the first time since 2024. He spent a few years with the Cubs as an extreme offensive contributor. He would strike out a ton but also hit home runs. From 2021 to 2023, he hit at least 23 homers in each season but also struck out at least 34% of the time in each of those campaigns. His numbers declined in 2024 and he ended up in South Korea in 2025.
He had a strong showing overseas. He hit 35 home runs for the Kia Tigers, with a slightly improved strikeout rate of 29.2%. He parlayed that into a return to North America, signing a minor league deal with the Mariners. He has been crushing the ball in Triple-A so far, with nine home runs in just 15 games. His 22.6% strikeout rate is far better than his previous stints in the majors, though he has naturally been facing a lower level of competition. Even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League, his .264/.371/.774 line is far better than average.
During his time with the Cubs, Wisdom mostly played third base but he has only been used as a first baseman and designated hitter so far this year. The Mariners have Josh Naylor at first base. The DH spot has primarily been used for a platoon of the righty-swinging Refsnyder and the lefty Dominic Canzone. Wisdom swings from the right side and could perhaps replace Refsnyder in that platoon role. His splits aren’t huge but Wisdom has been better against lefties. He has a career .223/.298/.480 line and 112 wRC+ when facing southpaws, compared to a .201/.287/.448 line and 101 wRC+ against righties.
Stints on the paternity list generally only last a few days. A player is allowed to be away for one to three days. Every once in a while, special circumstances will keep a guy away from the club longer. In those instances, he has to be moved to the restricted list.
Assuming Refsnyder is back in the next days and everyone else is healthy, the Mariners could send Wisdom back to Triple-A without putting him on waivers. Despite his previous years in the majors, Wisdom has less than five years of service time and is still optionable. Players coming from overseas can sometimes have special language in their contracts about not being sent to the minors without their consent. Unless Wisdom has such a clause in his deal, it’s possible he could stick around as depth even after Refsnyder returns. Connor Joe is also on the club as a bench bat and isn’t playing much. He’s optionable as well, so that’s another possibility to consider.
Castaño, 27, has been on Seattle’s 40-man roster since November of 2024. Since then, he has only made one big league appearance. In May of last year, he pitched three innings of relief, allowing three earned runs via four hits and two walks while striking out one.
He mostly served as rotation depth in recent years but hasn’t been needed apart from that one outing. He tossed 126 2/3 Triple-A innings last year with a 5.19 earned run average. His 17.8% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate were subpar but he did get grounders on 46% of balls in play. So far this year, he’s been used out of the Triple-A bullpen. He has thrown 6 1/3 innings with a 1.42 ERA but has benefitted from a .125 batting average on balls in play, as his 19% strikeout rate is only a modest improvement from his work as a starter last year.
He’ll now head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Mariners could explore trade talks for as long as five days. Castaño is still optionable, which could be appealing for clubs dealing with pitching injuries. If he clears waivers, he could stick with the Mariners as non-roster depth.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
