O'Keefe re-signed with the Mariners on a minor-league contract Monday.
He's presumably been given an invitation to big-league spring training. O'Keefe reached the majors for the first time in 2022 as a 29-year-old, seeing action in two games with the M's. He's likely to spend most of 2023 at Triple-A Tacoma again.
The Mariners declined to tender O'Keefe a contract for 2023, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
O'Keefe served as a depth catcher at Triple-A for most of last season, seeing only brief action with the big club at the very end of the campaign. He has posted some interested numbers for a catcher during him time in the minors, but he's already 29. The clock is ticking.
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Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Sent down Monday
Rotowire
O'Keefe was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.
The 29-year-old's contract was selected Friday to provide additional depth behind the plate while Curt Casali was on the paternity list. O'Keefe went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts over two big-league games and will head back to the minors after Casali was activated Monday.
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Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Contract officially selected
Rotowire
O'Keefe's contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.
O'Keefe was a Rule 5 pick out of the Cardinals organization in 2019 and will join a major-league roster for the first time to provide catching depth while Curt Casali is on the paternity list. It seems unlikely that O'Keefe will see significant playing time since Cal Raleigh and Luis Torrens are also in the fold, and it's possible that O'Keefe heads back to the minors once Casali rejoins the Mariners.
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Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Slated to join major-league club
Rotowire
O'Keefe is expected to be called up by the Mariners on Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
O'Keefe slashed .253/.330/.449 with 13 homers, 42 runs, 40 RBI and a stolen base over 83 games at Triple-A Tacoma this season and should provide additional depth behind the dish in the coming days since Curt Casali is expected to be placed on the paternity list. O'Keefe was a Rule 5 pick out of the Cardinals organization in 2019 and hasn't yet made his major-league debut.
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Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Possible 2020 playing time
Rotowire
O'Keefe is benefiting from plenty of instructional time during summer camp, and the possibility exists he could see some action at the big-league level in 2020, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "He's super excited to be a part of the organization, and a lot of the things that we've thrown at him on the defensive side he's really taken to," manager Scott Servais said. "He's got things to work on, but he's got power and a lot of arm strength. We're trying to focus on his receiving and getting that up to speed."
O'Keefe has yet to play above Double-A despite the fact he's 26 years old, although he does have a trio of double-digit home-run tallies on his minors resume. The Rule 5 pick out of the Cardinals organization appeared in 10 Cactus League games but logged only nine at-bats, hitting .222 with two RBI, two walks and two runs. While Tom Murphy and Austin Nola are set to handle most of the catching reps this season, Johns points out both may need reinforcement at some point -- Murphy has already missed time during summer camp twice due to fouling a ball off his foot and has started a relatively modest 110 games across his first five big-league seasons, while Nola has only four games of experience behind the dish.
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Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Added to training roster
Rotowire
O'Keefe will be part of the Mariners' 60-man training roster.
O'Keefe, 26, hit .229/.319/.389 with 13 home runs at Double-A in 2019 as a member of the Cardinals' organization. He is unlikely to see much, if any, time in the majors this season.
