Mariners select Rowdy Tellez to MLB roster

Tellez becomes the first position player NRI to make the club since 2020

It’s felt like a bit of a fait accompli for a while now, but today the Mariners made it official, announcing that Rowdy Tellez has been selected to their Major League roster. Tellez is the first position player NRI (non-roster invite) to make the big-league club since Jose Marmolejos in 2020.

Tellez was a late sign this winter, signing a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training with the club on February 21, the day of the first Mariners spring training game, with a $1.5M incentive if he made the Opening Day roster. Initially brought in as a lefty power-hitting complement to Mitches Haniger and Garver, Tellez earned a long look at both DH and first base, eventually eclipsing Haniger’s playing time, as the latter went down early in the spring with a shoulder injury. On Saturday, the team announced the release of Haniger, clearing the way for a roster spot for Rowdy.

The financial incentive is a nice one for Tellez, who was cut free by the Pirates last September, four plate appearances short of a benchmark that would have triggered a $200K bonus. That wasn’t the only frustrating thing for Tellez, who dealt with a fractured ring finger in July of 2023 that didn’t feel fully right until mid-2024: from March until June last season, he had four homers in 200+ PA with a wRC+ of 72; from July on, in roughly the same number of plate appearances, he had nine homers and a wRC+ of 108.

The Mariners are banking on second-half Rowdy, which has been the one that’s shown spring training this season. Tellez has shown a sharp eye at the plate, not walking as much as he has in his career—you don’t walk your way onto the roster—but getting into good counts and finding pitches he can damage, whether that’s ambushing fastballs on the plate or golfing a slider low in the zone for a lollipop base hit. With the caveat of Arizona air and questionable pitching, he’s hit three homers this spring, one fewer than over the whole first half of last season, showing that his swing is back and the nagging finger injury is no longer an issue. He announced his presence immediately in camp, with this majestic moonshot off the A’s Joey Estes just a week after signing with Seattle:

But Tellez also showed he could play a more-than-passable first base, giving the Mariners more positional flexibility. As he opened spring with a memorable home run, he closed it out with this cheeky unassisted double play, showcasing both solid defensive instincts and a little of the personality that’s already made him a fan favorite.

The Mariners will be Tellez’s fourth team—previously he’s been with Toronto, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh—and in addition to veteran leadership, Tellez brings an easy-going personality to Seattle’s clubhouse. Humble, funny, and personable, Tellez says he’s looking forward to playing in Seattle, because he’s a “big sushi guy,” and he’s excited to be on the coast and have access to a variety of fresh seafood. It will be somewhat of a change for him, though, as one of the last times he was in Seattle it was as a member of the Blue Jays; he’ll now find himself on the other side of that PNW rivalry.