After the acquisition of Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners released catcher Mitch Garver and outfielder Rob Refsnyder. Catcher Jhonny Pereda comes up from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move. Subsequently, he replaces Garver as the backup catcher for the Mariners. The two moves represent the beginning of a series of transactions that will reshape the depth of Seattle’s roster.
Seattle has also released catcher Mitch Garver. Jhonny Pereda is being recalled from Tacoma.
@tlschwerz had this earlier.Soon, the Mariners expect Brendan Donovan to return off the injured list. After that, J.P. Crawford should resume play as well from his wrist inflammation injury. There are some other players as well that Seattle fans will learn. By releasing Garver and Refsnyder, the Mariners show that they are finally willing to make changes to help this team turn around.
Pitching prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan possibly will join the Mariners in the near future. Hitting prospects Michael Arroyo and Laz Montes could come up from Triple-A, but they are more likely to debut at the Major League level in September.
Another player who could appear for the Mariners is Nolan Jones, who they acquired in the Luis Castillo trade to the Chicago White Sox. He is playing well right now in Triple-A, batting .256/.362/.442 with 14 home runs in 385 plate appearances.
The Seattle Mariners Released Mitch Garver and Rob Refsnyder
Refsnyder’s poor play in 2026 has been one of the biggest disappointments for the Seattle Mariners this season.
The Seattle Mariners signed Refsnyder to a one year $6.25 million contract in the offseason. He was supposed to be the weak-side platoon option with Luke Raley in right-field. However, Refsnyder’s poor play this season left Mariners fans frustrated as manager Dan Wilson kept putting him in clutch situations. He constantly failed. Refsnyder adds himself to a list of right-handed hitters who have come to Seattle and witnessed some of the worst performance of their career. Its a difficult situation for those types of hitters.
Garver came back to Seattle this offseason as well after his two year $24 million contract concluded in the 2025 season. The Mariners rejected his option year for this season, but brought him back after not acquiring a quality backup catcher in height of free agency. Garver struggled in Seattle, but he was welcomed in the clubhouse. Mariners pitcher George Kirby loved throwing to him as Garver regularly caught his games behind home plate.
The Mariners Finally Make Big Changes to Their Bench
With the conclusion of the trade deadline and the series win over the Minnesota Twins, perhaps now is the time the Mariners can finally capitalize on some positive changes to the year’s outlook.
While none of these changes are groundbreaking enough to truly catapult the Mariners to the top of the American League, they signify the Mariners’ desire to get over the bad play of 2026. Ward should operate as the team’s everyday right-fielder moving forward. Yet, he also could split time there and at designated hitter with Dominic Canzone. Raley is expected to miss significant time. Donovan could also see time in right-field as well. The Mariners now have better defensive options at that position.
Seattle Mariners Move On From Two Veterans After Trade Deadline