Seattle Mariners Rumors: Jesus Montero Demoted, Time Running Out In Seattle?
Seattle Mariners rumors reveal Jesus Montero has been demoted. These Mariners rumors come after Montero has struggled to hit over roughly the last month, going just 2-for-35 at the plate. A report from MLB.com states that he will finish up the Triple-A season with the Tacoma Rainiers in order to get some more at-bats. The expectation is that when the Rainiers’ season comes to an end on September 8, that Montero will then get recalled to finish out the MLB season with the Mariners.
When he was called up on July 10, Montero immediately did well at the plate. During those first 14 games, he had a nice .325 batting average, but manager Lloyd McClendon then started resting him against left-handed starting pitching. It caused him to miss a number of games, possibly leading to the slump when he was finally put back in the lineup. Now he will have to earn those at-bats by showing he can do well down in Tacoma.
These Seattle Mariners rumors were addressed by McClendon, who spoke briefly about why he felt that Jesus Montero had been struggling for a while.
“It was an opportunity to get him some at-bats over the next six days and kind of sharpen him back up. When he comes back, he’ll have a better chance of helping us win ballgames. He hasn’t played consistently. We had that stretch of lefties where he played, but now he’s been sitting a little bit and he’s gotten a little rusty. You can only play so many guys. Trumbo is really hard to sit right now.”
In regard to Trumbo, the first baseman and outfielder has hit eight home runs in his last 20 games, paying some dividends since the trade to acquire him earlier in the season. During his stint with the Mariners, Montero posted a .200 batting average, with five doubles, two home runs, and nine RBIs over 75 at-bats. Trumbo has been hot during the struggles of Montero, posting a .283 batting average and .600 slugging percentage over his last 15 games. McClendon is right about the need to keep Trumbo in the lineup.
While Jesus Montero is definitely going to see some more action for the Mariners in the final two weeks of the MLB season, his time with the organization may be running out. If he cannot produce at a high level, there might be no reason for the new general manager to keep him on the 40-man roster. The deal that cost the Mariners Michael Pineda has not worked out as expected, but the team hasn’t given up on him just yet. It’s clear that Montero will be at the center of more Seattle Mariners rumors in the offseason, so he will want to finish out this year strong.
[Image Source: David Banks/Getty Images]
