The Seattle Mariners placed catcher Curt Casali on the paternity list Friday and called up catcher Brian O’Keefe from Triple-A Tacoma to replace him on the roster.
Casali, 33, is batting .200 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 54 games with the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners this season. He was acquired by Seattle at the trade deadline and is 3-for-32 (.094) with two RBIs in 13 games with the Mariners.
O’Keefe, 29, has never played in the major leagues after he was drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014. He was batting .253 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs in 83 games for Triple-A Tacoma this season.
The Mariners also designated right-handed pitcher Phillips Valdez for assignment. Seattle claimed him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox on July 29, but he never made an appearance for the Mariners.
With a victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday, or a loss by the Baltimore Orioles to the New York Yankees, the Mariners will clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2001.
–Field Level Media
