Mariners get creative in order to call up Montero from Triple-A
First baseman/slugger Jesus Montero was recalled by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, but the move didn't come easily.
With little space on the 25-man roster for maneuvering, the club opted to send lefty J.A. Happ (who has made 17 starts this season) to Single-A Bakersfield.
The thinking behind that decision was that Happ is not scheduled to pitch before the All-Star Break begins on Monday, which creates a bit of flexibility. However, as ESPN Seattle's Shannon Drayer explained, Happ had to accept the move since he has enough MLB service time to decline the assignment. That is to say, it required some creativity (and open-mindedness on Happ's behalf) to facilitate Montero's return.
Drayer notes that the plan for Montero is to use him against left-handed pitching. He told Drayer his thoughts upon hearing the news of his call-up: "When they told me I was going to Tacoma in spring training I told myself I just got to continue to work hard. I just have to show them I can play. Be patient, be patient. Just keep working hard. It's going to come."
He definitely did 'work hard' at Triple-A Tacoma, as he was leading the Pacific Coast League in several offensive categories at the time of his promotion.
Montero was once considered the jewel of the New York Yankees' minor league system before being dealt to Seattle. If he can show the Mariners that he's finally put it together offensively, they'd be ecstatic considering the inconsistent nature of their lineup as currently constructed.
