Mariners shuffle bullpen ahead of series with Toronto; reinstate Ty France

Ty France enters his Papa Era

The Mariners head to Toronto today to open a series with the Blue Jays, and will do so with a slightly reshuffled roster. On the position player side, Ty France has been reinstated from the paternity list. Congratulations to Papa Ty, who you just know is going to be a Fun Dad.

Congratulations also to Samad Taylor, who had a strong showing during his time with the team, collecting a couple of base knocks and demonstrating his game-changing speed on the bases in limited action. This builds on a successful spring training for Taylor, who will now return to the Tacoma Rainiers. With Taylor and fellow speedsters Ryan Bliss and Jonatan Clase, as well as speedier-than-average Cade Marlowe, Tacoma has been a pretty fun team to watch so far this season.

But the main reshuffling is happening in the bullpen. In case you missed yesterday’s game (understandable), RHP Collin Snider had to leave in the fourth inning after taking a 102 mph liner off the lower leg. The Mariners are putting him on the 15-day IL with what’s being called a knee contusion. Additionally, RHP Cody Bolton is being moved to the 15-day IL with a “general medical issue.” Update: per Ryan Divish, said medical issue is kidney stones. Ouch. Get well soon, Cody.

It’s a series of hits at a position that had some question marks over the spring before seeming to coalesce over the first two weeks of the season, and now the Mariners’ organizational depth will once again be tested early on. Taking the place of Snider and Bolton will be RHPs Brett de Geus and Tyson Miller, who represent two opposite ends of the spectrum in Tacoma’s bullpen. Miller is a “crafty righty,” who makes up for well below average fastball velocity with a spate of strong secondaries and excellent command, while de Geus has legitimately nasty stuff: a two-seamer that clocks in around 97-98 that he pairs with a cutter and whiff-getting curveball, but can occasionally struggle to locate it well. Both Miller and de Geus were in competition for those final two bullpen spots deep into the spring, and now each will get a chance to demonstrate they are deserving of the opportunity to stay on a big-league roster.