Infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson has signed a minor league contract with the Mariners after electing free agency in lieu of an outright assignment from the Orioles late last week. The team never formally announced the signing, but Wilson made his organizational debut with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma two days ago. He’s picked up a pair of three-hit games for the Rainiers already.
Wilson, 31, appeared in 21 games with the O’s and took 46 plate appearances prior to being designated for assignment. He hit .231/.348/.333 in that brief stretch, which marked his fourth season with some degree of major league experience. Wilson debuted with the 2023 Phillies and has totaled 291 plate appearances in the majors since. In that time, he’s slashed .240/.331/.413 — about 8% better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+.
Solid as that overall showing is, it came in frontloaded fashion. Wilson posted big numbers in brief auditions with the 2023-24 Phils before struggling to a .198/.282/.369 performance in a career-high 125 plate appearances with Philadelphia last year. He’s a right-handed hitter who’s batted .248/.351/.456 when facing lefties but just .229/.302/.352 against fellow righties.
Wilson has played first base, second base, third base and both outfield corners in the majors. He’s a career .248/.340/.462 hitter in parts of six minor league seasons. He gives the Mariners some righty-swinging depth at several positions and a generally productive Triple-A bat to round out the Tacoma roster. Seattle is currently without righty-swinging left fielder Randy Arozarena, lefty-hitting infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan and righty-hitting utilityman Will Wilson (the latter of whom is reportedly weighing season-ending surgery).
At the moment, the Mariners are carrying a pair of veteran infield/outfield options on the bench: Rob Refsnyder and Connor Joe. Refsnyder has struggled greatly in his first season with the M’s. He signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal in free agency after a nice four-year run in Boston but has hit only .143/.214/.242 in 104 plate appearances. Joe is batting .189/.302/.324 in 43 plate appearances as a Mariner. Should either (or both) continue to struggle, it’s possible the Mariners could view the newly signed Wilson as a right-handed alternative off the bench.
