Seattle optioned Hummel to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Hummel was sent down to Triple-A after going just 2-for-23 (.087) over his 23 at-bats with the Mariners. He'll head down to the Rainiers and likely get regular playing time while Sam Haggerty was activated from the 7-day concussion injured list in a corresponding move.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Getting start at DH
Rotowire
Hummel is starting at designated hitter and batting eighth for the Mariners in Friday's game in Cleveland.
It's the third start this season for Hummel, with all of them coming in the DH spot. The 28-year-old is hitless in eight plate appearances so far, although he did contribute a stolen base.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Gets start at DH
Rotowire
Hummel is hitting eighth as the designated hitter for Friday's game against the Guardians.
The Mariners have rotated bench options at designated hitter to begin the season, and Hummel will get the nod Friday after Tommy La Stella hit eighth as the DH in Thursday's opener. Acquired in a deal for Kyle Lewis in the winter, Hummel posted just a .581 OPS in 176 at-bats with the Diamondbacks last year but impressed during his time in the Cactus League this spring. He'll have a chance to win a consistent role with strong results in the early portion of the season.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Swipes bag in Friday's start
Rotowire
Hummel went 0-for-3 with a run scored and his first stolen base of the season in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Guardians.
After getting hit by a Hunter Gaddis pitch with one out in the fourth inning, Hummel stole second and came home on a Julio Rodriguez double. The former Diamondback has never been a big running threat in his career, but his 88th percentile sprint speed last season per Statcast suggests he has some untapped potential on that front. Hummel will first need to show he can hit enough to earn semi-consistent playing time as a utility player on the Seattle bench. The .581 OPS he managed in 66 games for Arizona in 2022 paled in comparison to the .969 OPS he's amassed at Triple-A over 125 games.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Nabs Opening Day spot
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Hummel is part of the Mariners' Opening Day roster, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
The 28-year-old Hummel finished spring training with walks across each of his last three plate appearances Sunday and Monday, capping a strong body of work in Cactus League play that included a .275/.420/.675 line across 50 plate appearances. Kramer notes Hummel's versatility -- he's capable of filling in at catcher and the corner outfield spots -- helped seal his spot on the Opening Day roster, although his offensive contributions certainly may have put him over the top.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Trending toward Opening Day spot
Rotowire
Hummel, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Brewers on Monday, is projected to make the Opening Day roster by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.
Kramer fleshed out his position-by-position Opening Day roster prognosis Friday, and Hummel, who can fill in at catcher and the corner outfield spots, added to this terrific spring Monday with a multi-hit effort that pushed his Cactus League average to .333 and his homer tally to four. The 28-year-old, who logged the first 201 plate appearances of his big-league career last season with the Diamondbacks after spending six-plus seasons in the minors, has been a constant presence on the basepaths all spring, and Kramer notes Hummel's defensive versatility would give the Mariners more flexibility with the workloads of the top backstop duo of Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Could play several spots in 2023
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Mariners manager Scott Servais mentioned Friday that Hummel will start moving around the field in upcoming Cactus League games, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Hummel has been focused on catching in the early part of camp, but the team wants to see him at several spots in the second half of the Cactus League schedule. Acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Kyle Lewis deal, Hummel will likely be the third catching option behind Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy, but he could also see playing time at the corner outfield and infield positions.
Hummel was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners in exchange for Kyle Lewis on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Hummel made his major-league debut in 2022 and slashed .176/.274/.307 with three homers, 20 runs, 17 RBI and four stolen bases over 66 games with the Diamondbacks. The 27-year-old has displayed some promise in the minors and has the ability to serve as a catcher, outfielder and designated hitter. If Hummel makes the Mariners' Opening Day roster in 2023, he'll likely be forced to settle for a depth role since Seattle has plenty of talent behind the dish and in the outfield.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Starts at catcher
Rotowire
Hummel started at catcher and went 1-for-4 in Wednesday's 18-2 loss to Philadelphia.
All five of Hummel's starts since being recalled Aug. 9 have come behind the dish. Normally an outfielder, Hummel added catching duties to his resume in 2022, and any playing time for the rest of the season will likely come as a catcher, as Arizona's outfield is crowded with some of the organization's best prospects, in addition to the suddenly valuable Jake McCarthy. Daulton Varsho -- one of the prospects in the outfield that came up through the system as a catcher -- could also be used behind the plate, but he's primarily focused on right field.
Hummell was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.
Hummel earned another look at the big-league level by going 16-for-47 (.340) with a couple homers and eight RBI over his last 11 games with Reno. Hummel can catch and will take the roster spot of catcher Jose Herrera, but he has played only sparingly behind the plate this season and split his time between left field and the DH spot while with the big club earlier this season.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Sent down Monday
Rotowire
Hummel was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Monday.
Hummel lost out on some playing time recently and went 0-for-13 with an RBI and four strikeouts over his last five games. He should see more consistent at-bats in the minors, while Jake McCarthy was called up to provide additional outfield depth for the Diamondbacks.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Sits after four straight starts
Rotowire
Hummel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Hummel went 4-for-15 with a triple, a walk, four runs, an RBI and two stolen bases while starting in each of the past four games, but three of those starts came against left-handed pitching. With righty Alex Cobb on the hill for San Francisco on Wednesday, the switch-hitting Hummel will head to the bench for the series finale. He looks as though he'll be stuck in a short-side platoon role while all of David Peralta, Alek Thomas, Daulton Varsho and Ketel Marte are healthy and available.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Active in win
Rotowire
Hummel started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Monday's 8-3 win over the Giants.
Hummel was recently called up, giving Arizona another right-handed bat -- he's a switch hitter -- to deploy against the southpaws, like San Francisco's Carlos Rodon. The 27-year-old outfielder batted .178 during his first MLB stint in 2022, but after a productive stretch at Triple-A Reno, Hummel has hit in three consecutive games with two stolen bases.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Recalled by Arizona
Rotowire
Hummel was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.
Hummel hit just .178 over 41 major-league games to begin the season, but he performed much better after being demoted to the minors. He slashed .346/.477/.500 with two homers, 13 runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases over 14 games in Reno and will rejoin the big-league club after Pavin Smith was sent down.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Heads to Triple-A
Rotowire
Hummel was optioned to Triple-A Reno Saturday.
Hummel had been with the Diamondbacks since the start of the season, but he hit just .178 (18-for-101) over 41 games, so he will head to the minors and try to get back on track.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Replaces injured Peralta
Rotowire
Hummel entered Monday's game after left fielder David Peralta was removed due to back spasms. He went hitless in his only at-bat.
Peralta's injury looked worse as he left the field, so that it was just back spasms is a good sign. Hummel or Jordan Luplow could fill in if Peralta needs to miss any time.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Serves as emergency catcher
Rotowire
Hummel walked as a pinch hitter for catcher Jose Herrera and stayed in the game to catch the final inning of Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.
This is the second time in three games that Hummel, an outfielder and designated hitter, has been used behind the plate -- both for one-inning stints. With Daulton Varsho nursing a sore shoulder, Hummel is the backup to Herrera.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Hummel isn't starting Saturday against the Dodgers.
Hummel entered as a pinch hitter during the last two games, and he went 0-for-2 with a run and a walk. He'll remain out of the lineup Saturday with Daulton Varsho serving as the designated hitter and Jose Herrera starting behind the dish.
