Seattle Mariners Slugger Rowdy Tellez Gets Rewarded For Solid Spring Training
When the Seattle Mariners signed veteran first baseman Rowdy Tellez to a minor league contract Feb. 21, the general perception was he was a depth piece that could provide power and depth to the club in a pinch.
Since then, the slugger has played at a level made him a near-lock a lock for the 26-man roster. He hit .286 (14-for-47) with nine runs, three home runs and five RBIs to go with an .894 OPS in Cactus League play.
Rowdy Tellez gets all of this one, in just his third Cactus League at-bat since signing a Minors deal with an invite to big league camp with the Mariners.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) February 26, 2025
Exit velo: 110.3 mph
Launch angle: 23°
Distance: 432 ft. pic.twitter.com/izPoWunWEl
The Mariners made that assumption guaranteed Monday.
According to a news release, Seattle general manager Justin Hollander announced the team selected the contract of Tellez, officially adding him to the 40-man roster. The 40-man roster is almost filled at 39 players.
Tellez has played seven major league seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates. His best season came in 2022 where he hit .219 with 35 homers and 89 RBIs in 153 games with Milwaukee. Last season with Pittsburgh, he hit .243 with 13 homers and 56 RBIs.
"Coming here and not really playing with a lot of the guys here, everybody kind of welcomed me with open arms," Tellez said in an interview March 14. "Made me feel like a Mariner right away. That's from top to bottom in the organization. Players, staff, everybody. ... I'm happy to be here and I just want to do whatever I can to help these guys win."
It remains to be seen how often Tellez will play and in what role. Based on how Seattle deployed him in the Cactus League, there's a good chance he'll split time at first base with Luke Raley and at designated hitter, similar to how Justin Turner was used in the second half of 2024.
Whatever his role, his veteran leadership, playoff experience and power has a chance provide a boost for Seattle's lineup in 2025.
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