Former Seattle Mariner Signs With American League West Foe

Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ben Gamel was claimed off waivers by the team's American League West rivals the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Seattle Mariners left fielder Ben Gamel slides home against the Oakland Athletics on Sept. 1, 2018 at the Oakland Coliseum. / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners are in the heat of the playoff race and are playing catch-up with the Houston Astros. Seattle is behind Houston by 5.0 games in the American League West standings entering play on Tuesday.

Even with Houston up in the division — it hasn't been immune to the injury bug. In fact it's been one of the most injury-plagued teams in the league.

With a little over a month left in the season — the Astros added to their roster to try and bolster their outfield depth. And their latest addition is a player that the Mariners are familiar with.

Houston claimed outfielder and nine-year veteran Ben Gamel off waivers from the New York Mets on Tuesday.

Gamel played the better part of three seasons with Seattle from 2016 through 2018.

Gamel was acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees on Aug. 31, 2016. He was an effective player for the Mariners during his time there. In his two full seasons in the Pacific Northwest — Gamel batted .275 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs in 2017 and .272 with a home run and 19 RBIs in 2018. He has a career batting average of .252 with 40 home runs and 200 RBIs.

Gamel's time with Seattle came to an end when he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in a deal that netted the Mariners Domingo Santana on Dec. 21, 2018.

Gamel has played just 18 major league games with the Mets this season.

Gamel's signing won't likely move the needle either which way in the AL West race — but it does provide the Astros a little bit of a safety net in case the injuries continue to mound up for Houston.

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