Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today the following roster moves:
·         Dan Altavilla, RHP, recalled from AAA Tacoma.
·         Rob Whalen, RHP, recalled from AAA Tacoma.
·         Evan Marshall, RHP, placed on 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.
·         Emilio Pagan, RHP, optioned to AAA Tacoma.
Altavilla (#53) and Whalen (#63) will be in uniform and available for tonight's (6:10 p.m. PT) game vs. the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field.
Altavilla, 24 (turns 25 on Sept. 8), was 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA (2 ER, 5.2 IP) with 7 strikeouts in four relief appearances with AAA Tacoma. In his first stint with Seattle (through April 21), he was 1-1 with a 7.36 ERA (6 ER, 7.1 IP) with 10 strikeouts and 6 walks in 9 relief appearances with the Mariners this season. In his first 5 outings of the season (4/4-10), the 5-foot-11, 200-pound right hander tossed 4.0 scoreless innings while allowing 5 hits, striking out 8 and walking 1. He also earned his first career Major League win on April 6 at Houston, striking out 3 while giving up 1 hit in 1.0 scoreless inning of work. Over his last 4 games (4/12-20) before being optioned to Tacoma on April, Altavilla has allowed 7 runs (6 earned) on 6 hits (1 home run) and 5 walks in 3.1 innings pitched. He has recorded 2 strikeouts in his last 4 outings.
The native of McKeesport, PA, made his Major League debut with Seattle last season, posting 15 scoreless appearances (12.1 IP) while striking out 10 and walking 1. He was originally drafted by the Mariners in the 5th round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Mercyhurst (PA) College.
Whalen, 23, made 1 start with AAA Tacoma on May 1 vs. Sacramento, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing 6 hits and 1 walk and striking out 4. He began the season on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation before being activated and optioned to Tacoma on April 27. He was acquired by the Mariners along with RHP Max Povse from the Braves for OF Alex Jackson a Player to be Named Later (LHP Tyler Pike) on Nov. 28, 2016. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-hander went 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA (18 ER, 24.2 IP) with 25 strikeouts and 12 walks in 5 starts with the Braves last season. Whalen earned the win in his Major League debut, Aug. 3, 2016 vs. Pittsburgh, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits, 4 walks and 5 strikeouts over 5.0 innings pitched. He was placed on the 15- day disabled list on Aug. 25 with a right shoulder fatigue and transferred to the 60-day disabled list on Sept. 17. Whalen began the 2016 season with AA Mississippi, where he compiled a record of 7-5 with a 2.49 ERA (28 ER, 101.1 IP) with 94 strikeouts and 37 walks in 18 starts. After being promoted to AAA Gwinnett on July 14, Whalen went 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA (4 ER, 18.2 IP) with 18 strikeouts and 7 walks in 3 starts.
The native of Stroudsburg, Pa., was originally selected by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Haines City High School (Haines City, Fla.). In parts of 6 minor league seasons with the Mets (2012-15), Braves (2015-16), Mariners (2017), Whalen is 24-17 with a 2.42 ERA (98 ER, 364.1 IP) with 324 strikeouts and 121 walks in 67 career games (63 starts).
Marshall, 27, made two pitches in the 11th inning last night before being removed from the game with a right hamstring strain. He was 0-0 with 1 save and a 0.00 ERA (0 ER, 4.1 IP) with 6 strikeouts in four relief appearances with AAA Tacoma before being recalled. In his first stint with Seattle (April 12-25), he was 0-0 with a 9.39 (8 ER, 7.2 IP) in 5 relief appearances with Seattle. He allowed just 1 ER in his first 4 games with the Mariners (5.2 IP) before allowing seven runs in 2.0 innings in his last outing. Marshall was recalled from AAA Tacoma on April 12. The D-backs designated him for assignment on March 28 after he posted a 3.38 ERA (2 ER, 5.1 IP) in 6 Cactus League games with Arizona.                                                   
In 15 appearances with Arizona last season, he posted an 8.80 ERA (15 ER, 15.1 IP) with 9 strikeouts in 15 relief appearances. With AAA Reno, he was 1-1 with a 4.59 ERA (17 ER, 33.1 IP) with 28 strikeouts in 33 relief appearances. He was on the minor league disabled list Aug. 24-31 with a right lumbar spine strain. In parts of three Major League seasons, he is 4-7 with a 4.94 ERA (47 ER, 85.2 IP) with 74 strikeouts in 91 relief appearances. In six minor league seasons, he is 13-14 with a 3.69 ERA (92 ER, 224.1 IP) with 195 strikeouts in 205 games. He was selected by Arizona in the 4th round of the 2011 MLB First-year Player Draft out of Kansas State University.
Pagan, 25 (turns 26 on May 7), made his Major League debut with the Mariners on Wednesday (5/3) vs. the Angels, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits in 0.1 innings pitched. He also appeared in last night's (5/5) game vs. the Rangers and took the loss after giving up 2 runs on 1 hit (1 home run) and 1 walk while striking out 2 in 2.1 innings pitched. Overall, he went 0-1 with a 16.88 ERA (5 ER, 2.2 IP) with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk in 2 relief appearances. He was selected from AAA Tacoma on Tuesday (5/2). Prior to his recall, he earned 1 save and posted a 3.27 ERA (4 ER, 11.0 IP) with 18 strikeouts and 7 walks in 6 relief appearances with AAA Tacoma. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound right-hander ranked 4th in strikeouts among Pacific Coast League relievers (zero games started) at the time of his recall.
In parts of 5 minor league seasons in the Mariners organization, Pagan has compiled a record of 11-15 with 47 saves and a 2.47 ERA (65 ER, 236.2 IP) with 287 strikeouts and 83 walks in 151 career appearances, all in relief. He made 2 scoreless relief appearances with Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic this spring, tossing a scoreless frame against Team Venezuela on March 18 and blanking Team USA in the 9th inning of the Championship Game on March 22. The native of Greenville, SC, was originally selected by the Mariners in the 10th round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, NC).