SEATTLE -- A Mariners team looking to offset a rash of injuries to its starting rotation acquired Minor League left-hander Andrew Albers from the Braves on Friday for cash considerations.
Albers, 31, has limited big league experience, but has gone 12-3 with a 2.61 ERA this season for Triple-A Gwinnett. He will report to Triple-A Tacoma. Albers hasn't been on the 40-man roster all year and has two Minor League options remaining.
The Mariners learned Friday that James Paxton was headed to the disabled list for likely three weeks, joining fellow starters Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Additionally, southpaw Drew Smyly has been out all year with an elbow issue.
Those injuries have tested Seattle's organizational depth as the club has used 15 starters already this year and will likely have a rotation with two rookies -- Friday's starter Marco Gonzales and Andrew Moore -- until either Paxton or Hernandez return in September. Iwakuma's return is uncertain as he's been sidelined since May 3 with shoulder issues.
Moore was recalled from Tacoma on Friday when Paxton went on the DL with a strained left pectoral muscle.
Albers is 2-5 with a 4.41 ERA in 17 appearances, including 12 starts, over parts of three Major League seasons with the Twins and Blue Jays between 2013-16. He's spent this entire season with the Braves' Triple-A club. His last big league time was with the Twins in 2016 when he posted a 5.82 ERA in 17 innings over six games, including two starts.