Michael Saunders to the DL; Endy Chavez reportedly called up

Update - It's official.

It's been a busy day for the front office. After acquiring Aaron Harang this morning, the Mariners appear ready to place Michael Saunders on the 15-day disabled list. An official announcement hasn't been made, but Ryan Divish noticed that it says as much in the game notes. Saunders hurt himself crashing into the wall at full speed last night, a collision that caused him to leave the game. There isn't any word on how long he'll be out, but this could be a lingering injury, although Saunders claims to be "day to day."

To replace Saunders, it appears that Endy Chavez has been added to the team. The M's haven't indicated how they'll re-arrange the roster to accommodate Chavez -- he isn't on the 40-man yet -- but Jason Churchill hears that D.J. Mitchell, one of Tacoma's starters, will be outrighted to make room. Mitchell, you might remember, was acquired in the Ichiro trade last summer, along with Danny Farquhar. Mitchell is expendable -- he's 25-years old and lacks the raw stuff to thrive in a big league rotation -- so there's a decent chance he passes through waivers and remains in the organization. Mitchell was added to the 40-man recently to accomodate the DFA of Casper Wells.

Chavez provides the club another defensive-minded outfielder. Given that the M's are starting Michael Morse and Raul Ibanez in the field tonight, it's a much-needed boost to the roster. I don't think he'll start a lot, but it's nice to have some insurance if Franklin Gutierrez can't go on a particular night. Don't expect Chavez to produce much at the plate: he's never been much of a hitter and he posted a meager .203/.236/.283 triple-slash in 169 plate appearances for the Orioles last year.