Marjama was suspended 80 games by MLB after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The former Mariners catcher retired from baseball last July but was attempting to come back before being hit with an 80-game ban. It's unclear if the backstop will continue his bid once he's eligible to return.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Hangs it up
Rotowire
Marjama (head) has elected to retire from baseball, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Marjama appeared in 10 major-league games during the 2018 campaign, although he struggled to a .111 batting average with three doubles. He'll step away from the game to take a job with the National Eating Disorders Association.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Placed on minor-league DL
Rotowire
Marjama (head) was placed on the 7-day disabled list at Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday after being hit in the face mask by a foul tip in Monday night's game, Rainiers play-by-play broadcaster Mike Curto reports.
With Tacoma, Marjama is slashing .247/.302/.424 with 16 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, five home runs) and 23 RBI over 43 games. The 28-year-old catcher is likely to remain in the minors unless injuries strike at the big-league level, as the Mariners have displayed a preference for David Freitas or Chris Herrmann as Mike Zunino's backup this season.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Marjama was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Thurdsay.
With Mike Zunino returning from his oblique injury, the Mariners had one too many catchers. Marjama will lose the backup job to David Freitas despite beating him out for a roster spot in spring training. Marjama's .111/.172/.222 line so far this season is far worse than Freitas' .286/.355/.429, so the demotion seems to be well-earned.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Not in lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
Marjama is out of the lineup against Kansas City on Wednesday, Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com reports.
Marjama will head back to the bench after going 1-for-4 with a double during Tuesday's contest. In his place, David Freitas draws the start and will bat ninth in the order.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Takes seat Monday
Rotowire
Marjama is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.
Marjama continues to split time behind the dish with David Freitas as Mike Zunino works his way back from an oblique injury. The 28-year-old is just 2-for-15 (.133) through five appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Out of lineup Thursday
Rotowire
Marjama is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against Minnesota, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Marjama will hit the bench for the third time in the past four games while David Freitas gets the nod behind the plate. Over three games as the starter, Marjama has gone just 1-for-10 with a double while Mike Zunino has been on the disabled list.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: On bench again Tuesday
Rotowire
Marjama is out of the lineup Tuesday for the second game in a row, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Mike Zunino is expected to be back April 7 once his minimum stay on the DL is exhausted. David Freitas will start at catcher for the second straight game. That raises the possibility that the Mariners prefer Freitas and that it could be Marjama who is sent down when Zunino returns, though Marjama won the backup catcher job in spring training and it's unlikely that the team's opinion has changed so quickly.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Hits bench Sunday
Rotowire
Marjama is out of the lineup Sunday against the Indians, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Marjama will get a day of rest Sunday after he was behind the plate for the Mariners' first two games of the season following Mike Zunino's (oblique) surprise placement on the disabled list. Zunino is only expected to miss the minimum 10 days with the injury, so Marjama's run as the primary option behind the plate shouldn't last long. Once Zunino is activated, third-string catcher David Freitas will likely return to Triple-A Tacoma.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Late addition to Opening Day lineup
Rotowire
Marjama will bat eighth in the lineup Thursday against the Indians after Mike Zunino was scratched with side soreness.
The backup catcher will take over behind the dish and bat eighth in place of the injured Zunino. That said, Zunino could return as soon as Saturday after the Mariners' scheduled off-day Friday. Marjama hit .300 with a pair of home runs over 40 at-bats this spring, but he'll be facing his toughest test to date Thursday with the Indians turning to Corey Kluber on the bump.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Wins backup catcher job
Rotowire
Marjama will be the Mariners' backup catcher this season, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The role is clearly Marjama's now that David Freitas has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. Marjama is hitting .286/.412/.607 with two homers in 14 games this spring. The 28-year-old has played in just five career major-league games and struggled to a .167/.244/.346 line in 21 games at the Triple-A level in 2017.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Listed as starting catcher Sunday
Rotowire
Marjama (foot) will start at catcher and bat sixth for the Mariners in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Indians, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Marjama came on in relief of Tuffy Gosewisch behind the plate Saturday against the Athletics without incident, so the Mariners don't seem to have any concern about the foot injury inhibiting Marjama at this point. The 28-year-old is likely to open the campaign as the backup to primary catcher Mike Zunino.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Lands DH duty Friday
Rotowire
Marjama (foot) is in the lineup as the designated hitter Friday against the Rangers.
Marjama was scratched from Thursday's contest with a bruised foot, but it doesn't seem as though the injury is serious enough to keep him from hitting. It's unclear if he's healthy enough to set up behind the plate yet, but it wouldn't be surprising for the Mariners to play things safe on that front given that Opening Day is still two weeks away.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Scratched from Thursday's lineup
Rotowire
Marjama was scratched from Thursday's Cactus League lineup with a bruised foot, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Marjama fouled a ball off the inside of his foot Wednesday, and the issue is apparently still bothering the backstop. With the amount of injuries making their way through the Mariners' camp this spring, it's possible manager Scott Servais is simply playing it safe. More will hopefully be known following the conclusion of Thursday's contest, but consider Marjama day-to-day for now.
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Productive in Monday's loss
Rotowire
Marjama went 1-for-3 with a double, stolen base and a run in Monday's 4-2 Cactus League loss to the White Sox.
The 28-year-old backstop's bat has been active recently, as he'd accounted for an inside-the-park home run and three RBI two games ago against the Reds as well. Marjama showed flashes in what was a very brief callup to the majors, racking up a double and a homer among his three hits over nine plate appearances at the tail end of last season. He's currently slotted in as the potential top backup to starter Mike Zunino, and with Zunino yet to exceed 131 games in any of his five big-league seasons, Marjama could see a fair amount of action in 2018.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Homers in finale
Rotowire
Marjama went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's season-ending 6-2 loss to the Angels.
Marjama made the most of the two starts he saw since joining the big-league club in early September, going 3-for-7 with a double and a home run in that pair of contests. With veteran Carlos Ruiz unsigned heading into what would be his age-39 season, Marjama could have an opportunity to claim the backup role to Mike Zunino in 2018.
... See More... See Less
Mariners' Mike Marjama: Multi-hit effort in defeat
Rotowire
Marjama went 2-for-4 with a double in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Athletics.
The rookie backstop acquitted himself well in his first major-league start, getting his first pair of big-league hits in the process. The 28-year-old Marjama should see additional playing time in the closing days of the campaign.
