Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today the following roster moves.
· Pat Light, RHP, claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh.
· Ryne Harper, RHP, outrighted to AAA Tacoma.
Seattle's Major League, 40-man roster, remains full at 40 players. Light will report to AAA Tacoma.
Light, 26, was designated for assignment by the Pirates on June 10. He'd spent the season at AAA Indianapolis, where he posted a 3-0, 3.76 mark with 4 saves (in 5 chances) in 22 games. He allowed 11 earned runs in 26.1 innings pitched, and struck out 20 while walking 15.
He appeared in the Majors with both Boston (2 games) and Minnesota (15 games) in 2016, posting a combined 0-1, 11.34 mark in 17 games. He allowed 21 ER in 16.2 innings and struck out 16 while walking 16. In his minor league career (2012-2017), Light is a combined 17-18, 4.31 with 18 saves in 150 career games, 49 starts. He's allowed 155 earned runs in 324.0 innings. He was originally drafted by Boston in the 1st round of the 2012 June Draft out of Monmouth University.
Harper, 28, is 2-0 with 3 saves and a 1.89 ERA (4 ER, 19.0 IP) with 24 strikeouts and 9 walks in 15 relief appearances with AAA Tacoma this season. In his last 7 appearances with the Rainiers (5/3-c), he is 2-0 with 3 saves and a 0.00 ERA (0 ER, 8.2 IP), scattering 4 hits while striking out 10 and walking 1. Overall, he has recorded at least 1 strikeout in 14 of his 15 outings, including 8 games with 2-or-more strikeouts. Harper is averaging 11.37 strikeouts-per-9.0-innings (24 K, 19.0 IP). The 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander has limited left-handed batter to a .150 (3x20) average with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks while right-handed batters are hitting .255 (12x47) with 17 strikeouts and 2 walks vs. Harper.
Harper was acquired by the Mariners as the Player to Be Named later from the Atlanta Braves on Dec. 11, 2015 completing a trade that sent RHP Jose Ramirez to Atlanta on Dec. 4, 2015. He made 42 relief appearances with AA Jackson last season, going 4-5 with 6 saves a 2.51 ERA (19 ER, 69.0 IP) with 95 strikeouts and 25 walks. His 95 strikeouts ranks 14th in the Southern League last season. He also led Southern League relievers in strikeouts-per-9.0-innings (12.57/95 K, 69.0 IP) and fewest baserunners-per-9.0-innings (10.46). In parts of 7 minor league seasons with Atlanta (2011-15) and Seattle (2016-17), he is 26-17 with 29 saves and a 2.21 ERA (87 ER, 354.0 IP) with 436 strikeouts and 113 walks in 229 career relief appearances. The native of Nashville, TN, was originally selected by Atlanta in the 37th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Austin Peay University.