Mariners CEO John Stanton said Wednesday on 710 ESPN Seattle that he expects Gilbert to be on the 30-man taxi squad this year, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Members of the taxi squad are not expected to accumulate major-league service time, so we will likely see Gilbert along with fellow Mariners top prospects Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez on the squad. This will be a way to make sure those players are staying fresh and not stagnating while also providing depth to the major-league team. Taxi squad members can work out with the team and will be eligible to be added to the major-league roster as needed. Gilbert reached Double-A last year at the age of 22 and thrived with a 2.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB in 50 innings at that level.