Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the club has requested unconditional release waivers on infielder/outfielder Stefen Romero to allow him to pursue an opportunity to play in Japan.
This roster move leaves the Mariners Major League, 40-man roster, at 35.
Romero, 28, appeared in 9 games with Seattle over 2 separate stints in 2016, batting .235 (4x17) with 1 run scored, 1 double, 3 RBI and 1 walk. He spent the majority of the season with AAA Tacoma, batting .304 (127x418) with 70 runs scored, 24 doubles, 6 triples, 21 home runs, 85 RBI and 36 walks in 106 games with the Rainiers. In his 4th season with Tacoma, Romero was named to both the midseason and postseason Pacific Coast League All-Star teams while ranking among the PCL leaders in slugging percentage (T5th/.541), OPS (6th/.902), RBI (T6th/85), total bases (7th/226), average (T9th/.304), home runs (T9th/21), extra-base hits (T11th/51), hits (T17th/134) and on-base percentage (20th/.417).  
Romero was originally selected by the Mariners in the 12th round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Oregon State University. He has appeared with Seattle in parts of each of the last 3 seasons (2014-2016), batting .195 (42x215) with 26 run scored, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 17 RBI and 8 walks in 94 games. In 6 minor league seasons in the Seattle organization, Romero hit .306 (716x2341) with 372 runs scored, 148 doubles, 27 triples, 100 home runs, 442 RBI, 162 walks and 48 stolen bases in 588 games.