The Seattle Mariners announced Monday morning that they have called up three players in conjunction with the September roster expansion, which swells the active roster from 26 to 28 players. Seattle promoted C Harry Ford, RHP Luke Jackson, and INF Leo Rivas from Triple-A Tacoma, while designating veteran INF Donovan Solano and RHP Sauryn Lao for assignment. Because Victor Robles is still serving his seven-game suspension, Seattle’s roster is at 27 for the time being, with an additional position player but
the usual modern pitching staff of 13.
We’ll start with the quick ones. Rivas returns as a switch-hitting bench bat whose glovework is quality at every spot on the roster. He’s a defensive upgrade to Solano as the backup across the infield, with the ability to handle shortstop as well, and his speed is sufficient to steal a bag efficiently as he’s 7-for-7 in the bigs in limited play and 24-27 this year in Tacoma. Solano’s departure, by contrast, is due to lack of performance and fit. Had he been able to hit in line with his past play, Seattle likely holds onto the veteran infielder. With minimal defensive utility, however, the 37 year old has barely played in the past month and change, and may be at the end of the line in his respectable, 985 game career.
Jackson is a veteran reliever with a decade of big league time under his belt, most prominently with the Atlanta Braves. His career line of 4.27/4.04 ERA/FIP and 1.8 fWAR in 398 innings is not that of a world-beater, but of a long-time survivor. At his peak, Jackson was a high-leverage arm for Atlanta, and from 2019-2021 was integral in their World Series run in ’21, including three scoreless appearances against Houston to help secure their first title of the 21st century. It’s been tougher sledding since then, as the righty missed all of 2022 with injury likely tied to that workload, then saw his velocity and efficacy diminish over the 2024-25 seasons as the Giants lost patience with him and a return to Atlanta did not cure all that ailed.
He began 2025 in Texas, struggling enough to lose his spot both there and in Detroit, before signing a minor league deal with the M’s a week and a half ago. He’s long been a groundball specialist, and Seattle will hope to catch his spark once more. Lao has been up and down, but may slip through waivers once more, not having earned the trust of Dan Wilson for more than mop-up duty.
Finally, there is catcher Harry Ford. You likely have an image in your head of Ford, whose season line rests at .283/.408/.460 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, with a 16.2% walk rate and 16 home runs. Prospect writer Max Ellingsen passed along his most up-to-date scouting report for context.
Since being drafted with the twelfth overall pick back in 2021, Ford has graced the top of the Mariners farm system, steadily producing thanks to his advanced on base skills and keen eye. The in-game power hovers around average and he’s got enough to get the job done, but it’s not a foundational part of his game. Ford brings tons of athleticism to this team and should have little issue being a high-OBP bat in this lineup.
Ford has had an exceptional year for the Rainiers and has been under great consideration for a promotion as of late, however fitting him on the roster has been tricky with Cal Raleigh posting a generational season and Mitch Garver manning the backup duties and performing well against LHP. Despite this, they’ve opted to give him the call and figure out the details on the fly. How often they’ll choose to deploy him will be something to watch for, but it’s assured that if his bat is anything like it was in Tacoma, his roster spot is secure. This team would greatly benefit from Ford’s OBP/speed combination, and the fact he provides the added utility as a catcher makes him that much more valuable.
Ford is one of Seattle’s top prospects, and a Top-100 prospect in baseball even as there’s not been exactly a burst of additional performance at any point. He’s simply… kept being what he’s been, rather effectively.
I’d anticipate Ford to be the third catcher primarily, as throwing him into regular reps is a big leap for a veteran-heavy roster, but it’s not as though Ford is undercooked. Through September 1st, Ford has over 2,100 plate appearances in over 450 minor league games, just shy of 300 of which he’s been catching for. The 22 year old has also played internationally in the World Baseball Classic on behalf of Great Britain, facing big league talent as he will once more this coming spring.
The likeliest role for Ford may be one of a late inning insurance, as Ford’s presence allows the M’s to utilize their preferred lineup vs. LHP with Garver as DH, but not fear pinch-hitting in later frames when opponents bring in RHPs. Garver’s 122 wRC+ vs. LHP is both solid and fourth-best on the roster among players w/at least 50 opportunities. His 58 wRC+ against RHP is untenable, making the bench bats of Luke Raley and/or Dominic Canzone more appealing. Being able to sub out their second-string catcher without leaving themselves exposed to an emergency catcher should something go awry is a not-insignificant boon. It’s possible Ford leapfrogs Garver entirely, but would be surprising given Seattle could have made that determination at many earlier stages. Regardless, it sets the M’s up for a playoff run and roster that will likely look just about this way.
