Mariners Recall Bergman, Lawrence, Select Morin; Send down Beckham, Rumbelow; Place Paxton on DL

With James Paxton exiting last night’s game after 17 pitches with an apparent back injury, some roster moves were anticipated for this lovely Friday, and here they are!

Lots going on here. Paxton is the big, but expected news, and further reports from the club indicate this won’t affect their plans for him at all, as the intention was always to give him a few days’ rest out of the All-Star Break. Sadly, this potentially cost him an all-star spot, as Blake Snell and Charlie Morton were named as injury replacements a short while ago.

Next, Bergman was a known piece of news, as he had already been announced as the spot starter. Mike Morin and Casey Lawrence will beef up the bullpen, presumably, as there’s no spot for Lawrence in the rotation surrounding the all-star break—though he had been starting in Tacoma and can give the Mariners a lot of innings per appearance, something they need badly after last night’s calamity. Morin will make his Mariners debut. Get reacquainted with him courtesy of Gotty here. Nick Rumbelow goes back to Tacoma, where he will work again to harness his tantalizing stuff, something he hasn’t been able to do at the MLB level yet.

The difference is marginal, but it still frustrates me to see the last piece here: Gordon Beckham is probably a better option for the Mariners right now than Andrew Romine, but salary and clubhouse concerns (or whatever) being what they are, Beckham is boarding the Sounder train back to Tacoma, where he will probably keep hammering baseballs.