The Mariners announced that outfielder Rob Refsnyder has been reinstated from the ten-day injured list. Infielder Buddy Kennedy has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Both players were added by Seattle as the club attempted to balance out their position player group. The lineup leans heavily to the left side, so they signed Refsnyder in the offseason. A righty bat, he has crushed lefties in his career, so the M’s gave him $6.25MM on a one-year deal.

The club hasn’t yet received the return on that investment they wanted. Refsnyder hit .133/.203/.219 in 49 games before right knee inflammation sent him to the IL about a month ago. He suffered from a .151 batting average on balls in play in that time but his 5.9% walk rate and 26.9% strikeout rate were also rough marks, coming in well below league average and his previous career benchmarks.

Kennedy was acquired in late June when Refsnyder hit the IL. Kennedy is also a righty bat but he didn’t do anything to solve the problem. He only received 11 plate appearances with the Mariners but struck out in four of those while notching just one hit, a double. He is out of options, so he has been bumped into DFA limbo. He will likely be on waivers in the coming days. He has cleared many times before and hasn’t been playing well lately, so he should have a decent chance of clearing again. If that comes to pass, he’ll have the right to elect free agency.

He has a solid track record in the minor leagues, with a .285/.393/.442 line in his Triple-A career. He also has some defensive versatility, with professional experience at all four infield spots and left field, but he has only hit .167/.260/.259 in 200 big league plate appearances with various clubs.

As for Refsnyder, though he is retaking his roster spot now, he may not have it for long. The Mariners are known to be looking for righty bats ahead of the deadline and are reportedly willing to discuss Luis Castillo or Emerson Hancock as part of that search. Given Refsnyder’s struggles and injury, he might get squeezed out of the club’s plans.

Photo courtesy of Pablo Robles, Imagn Images