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The Mariners announced four roster shifts Monday and reinstated Righty ken giles off 60-day casualty list and recall from infielder Kevin Padlo by Triple-A Tacoma. To free up roster space, right-handed Sergio Romo and left Roenis Elias were determined for assignment.
Romo signed a one-year, $2 million deal late in the offseason after it was revealed Casey Sadler needed shoulder surgery at the end of the season, was sharp in his first month as a mariner but had to witness the wheels snap off in dramatic fashion. The 39-year-old sidearmer gave up just one run in his first eight innings before the Orioles tattooed him for five runs in two-thirds of an inning on June 1.
That was the beginning of a monumental meltdown that saw the three-time World Series Champion and former All-Star hit a dozen runs in his last 6 1/3 frames. Romo has allowed runs in five of his last nine appearances, giving up multiple runs in one outing four times during that disastrous stretch.
Given the scale of these fights and the fact that he has a guaranteed salary (albeit a fairly modest one), Romo will most likely waive waivers and become a free agent. Any team wishing to gamble on helping him fix the ship would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent in the Majors at that point. Romo hasn’t experienced a drop in speed – he’s still sitting at 85.6mph with his sinker and with his signature slider in the 77-78 range – and still causes chases off the plate with a whopping 37.8% clip. Given that context and his broader track record, he should have another opportunity out there — especially if he’s willing to strike a minor-league deal somewhere.
As for 33-year-old Elias, he fared far better with the Mariners in 2022, albeit in a smaller 7 2/3-innings sample. During that time, the experienced left-hander has fanned six of 33 opponents (18.2%) while walking three (9.1%) and induced Grounders with a robust 50% clip. This is Elias’ first big league action since the 2019 season as he was sidelined for much of the 2020-21 season with arm injuries – culminating in Tommy John’s surgery last March.
Elias has been similarly solid in Triple-A that year, posting a 3.63 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate versus a sharp 6.8% walk rate and a grounder in 17 1/3 innings. rate of 44.6%. He may be attractive to bullpen-hungry clubs, particularly those who need a left-hander. In 395 2/3 innings at the MLB level, Elias has a 3.96 ERA — although that mark is at 3.30 and dates back to a 2017 move to the bullpen.
Giles, 31, is capitalized for his team debut. Giles signed a two-year, $7 million deal knowing he would miss the first year of the deal after recovering from Tommy John’s surgery in 2020. However, his minor league rehab assignment was grisly. The former Phillies, Astros and Blue Jays went 7 1/3 innings between high-A and triple-A but were shot for 16 runs (11 earned) on 15 hits and eight walks during that time. Giles also served four long balls in this stretch.
Some rust is to be expected after a long break, but these little league struggles are nevertheless instructive. However, it’s worth noting that in addition to that Tommy John intervention in 2020, Giles suffered a strained tendon in his pitching hand in spring practice that sent him back to the IL for the first two-plus months of the season.
At his best, Giles has shown he can be one of the best relievers in the game. As recently as 2019, he went 53 innings with Toronto with 1.87 ERA balls while beating 40% of his opponents. And in 351 career innings, Giles has a 2.74 ERA with a whopping 33.3% strikeout rate versus an above-average 7.7% walk rate. Time will tell which version of the right the Mariners get, but if he’s back on form, Giles could be either a key bullpen rock in six weeks or, if the Mariners keep fighting, an attractive trade chip.
