Detroit Tigers catcher Eric Haase wasn't always supposed to be in Seattle on Tuesday night.
If Grayson Greiner hadn't sustained a left hamstring strain, a spot wouldn't be open for Haase on the roster. If he hadn't learned how to play left field, there's no way manager AJ Hinch could have kept three catchers — with Jake Rogers and Wilson Ramos — on the roster. And after just 26 games in three MLB seasons leading up to 2021, many had written him off as organizational depth in the minor leagues.
But Haase, 28, was in Seattle for Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Mariners in the second of three games at T-Mobile Park.