Seattle Mariners Recall Top Prospect, DFA Another Former Top Prospect

As the Seattle Mariners get set to take on the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day, they have recalled starting pitcher and top prospect Emerson Hancock, while also designating former top prospect Taylor Trammell for assignment.

Mar 8, 2024; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (62) throws in / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners have made multiple roster moves on Thursday ahead of Opening Day, including re-calling top pitching prospect Emerson Hancock and designating former top prospect Taylor Trammell for assignment.

Let's start with Hancock, who is set to begin the year in the rotation following the injury to right-hander Bryan Woo.

Hancock enters the season as the team's No. 11 prospect, per MLB.com. He made his major league debut a season ago but was shut down after just a few appearances with a shoulder injury. The No. 6 overall draft pick in the 2020 draft, Hancock made three starts a season ago, going 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 12.0 innings.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

The former Georgia Bulldog doesn’t possess the high-90s velocity he did in college, but he’s harnessed a four-pitch mix and shown above-average command enough to where his stuff should play in the Majors. There’s good feel-to-pitch and strike-throwing ability that have allowed him to eat innings in the Minors when healthy. His four-seamer remains the bread and butter, and his slider possesses some cutter tendencies more than the sweepers that are all the rave, and it consistently induced weak contact. The development of his two-seamer has been encouraging, and he has a usable changeup as well. 

As for Trammell, the team will have one week to trade him, release him or outright him to the minor leagues. They acquired him from the San Diego Padres during the COVID 2020 season, and while he showed flashes, he was never able to put it together consistently in Seattle.

He's a lifetime .168 hitter in the majors with 15 homers, 39 RBI and four stolen bases. Because of his former prospect pedigree, Seattle may hope to keep him in the minors, but it wouldn't be a shock to see him draw interest from other teams.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.