Out of nowhere, the Mariners announced that they have placed right-handed relief pitcher Sam Tuivailala on unconditional release waivers Friday afternoon. Given that Tuivailala was projected to play a key role in the Mariners’ late-inning plans, his sudden release comes as quite the surprise.
Tuivailala was dealing with a shoulder issue this spring and was absent from Cactus League play before MLB suspended its season, though he was able to throw in a ‘B’ game on March 8. Perhaps the injury was worse than initially thought and that led to today’s decision, though the Mariners have yet to give a definitive reason for the move.