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Last night it was announced that Danny Farquhar would be sent down to Tacoma in order to make room on the Seattle Mariners roster for Austin Jackson. Jackson has been out with a bum ankle since May 4 and, as of last night, was activated off of the disabled list. The move adds yet another player to the Mariners "outfield" but more importantly, adds a player who has played in this department for most of their career. Since Jackson's demotion the Mariners have been holding the outfield together with Justin Ruggiano, Seth Smith, the part of Nelson Cruz that isn't his knees, two converted infielders, a Willie, and a Rickie.
Having Jackson back should be a welcome change for the Mariners, who as recently as last evening's contest replaced Ruggiano with Dustin Ackley as a "defensive replacement". Austin slots immediately in to the lineup tonight, at centerfield, and will bat lead-off.
However, this move means that a corresponding one is coming shortly. Sending Farquhar down is a short-term solution, and Danny should be expected back. His demotion adds to the pre-season list of "things you were not expecting this year" as he has in many previous outings flashed the stuff of a true, lockdown closer. As of late, his cutter command has slipped, something he acknowledged himself in a post-game interview last night. Jack Zduriencik showed last night the need to bring another bullpen arm back within the week, which ultimately means that a position player needs to be sent down.
Here lies the real speculation of having Jackson back: which position player suffers this consequence? Leading candidates would appear to be Dustin Ackley, Willie Bloomquist, Rickie Weeks, Chris Taylor, or Justin Ruggiano. Will the organization cut ties with Willie in order to give its disappointing second-overall pick a chance to improve his season? Will Brad Miller get moved back to short? Does Justin Ruggiano have a long-term spot on this team? Is there a trade in the works? We'll find out soon, it seems.