Swanson, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, is a candidate to serve in a long-relief role when the Mariners limit one of Yusei Kikuchi's starts near the end of April to a single inning, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Manager Scott Servais delivered the news Tuesday while addressing Swanson's ascension to the big-league club earlier in the day. Kikuchi is projected to log multiple abbreviated starts -- about once per month on average -- as the Mariners look to manage his workload in his first season stateside. Swanson has the experience to handle the multi-inning workload if called upon, having recorded 45 starts over the last two-plus seasons at the minor-league level, including one in 2019.