SEATTLE-Former Yankees prospect Ben Gamel arrived in Seattle and stepped into a clubhouse that was ready to give him a chance right away.
"Why not?" manager Scott Servais said of starting Gamel on Friday. "We'll fire him out there. We've had pretty good success going with the new guy, and sometimes it sparks us a little bit."
With an expanded roster to work with, the Mariners added outfielder Gamel to the active roster and recalled catcher Jesús Sucre from Triple-A Tacoma Friday.
Gamel started in right field Friday and batted leadoff. He went 0-for-3 but walked twice, scored once, and earned an RBI for drawing one of those walks with the bases loaded in an 11-8 victory over the Angels.
"First look at Ben Gamel tonight, very poised." Servais said. "Nice job in the leadoff spot. Saw a lot of pitches. He probably didn't swing the bat as well as he would have liked to, but kind of what we're looking for there: to make the guy work."
Seattle acquired the 24-year-old outfielder from the Yankees Wednesday in exchange for minor league pitchers Jio Orozco and Juan De Paula. Gamel, the International League MVP, hit .308 and scored 80 runs in 116 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He also appeared in 6 games for the Yankees and got one hit and scored one run in eight at-bats.
"I was excited," Gamel said of learning he was going to Seattle. "I was told there's a lot of opportunity over here."
Gamel played Triple-A ball for two seasons, making a clear impact especially this season. But even with the Yankees' roster shuffling at the trade deadline, New York seemingly didn't have a long-term spot for him.
"[He] needed an opportunity," Servais said, "and that's what we have."
Gamel joined Guillermo Heredia and Leonys Martin in the outfield Friday to give the Mariners speed at all three positions. He has hit leadoff for much of his career, so he's comfortable in that spot, he said. And getting the start his first day took away some of the nerves.
Sucre was not in the clubhouse for Friday's game. Instead, he was at the hospital for the birth of his daughter Samara .
Sucre came off the 60-day disabled on July 6 after having fractured his right fibula on Jan. 17. He started three games for the Mariners before they optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma on July 20. He has since complied a .300 batting average over 24 games.
Worth Noting:
• Designated hitter Nelson Cruz returned to the lineup Friday after sitting out Tuesday and Wednesday at Texas with a nerve issue in his left hand.
"I don't think he's 100 percent," Servais said. "But he's much better than he was a few days ago. And he certainly wants to give it a go, and I'm not going to tell him no. I want him to go too."
• The Mariners plan to give left-hander James Paxton an extra day off as he deals with a torn fingernail on the middle finger of his pitching hand. That pushes him to Tuesday and gives him six days to rest since Thursday's off day was already going to provide an additional day. Félix Hernández, who was originally scheduled to pitch Tuesday, will swap starts with Paxton and throw Monday on the usual four days of rest.
• Servais is hopeful that right-handed reliever Drew Storin will be ready to return as soon as his disabled list stint is up. The Mariners placed Storin on the 15-day DL Aug. 20 with right shoulder inflammation.