Rob Refsnyder went on the paternity list Tuesday, and the Seattle Mariners answered by bringing up Patrick Wisdom from Triple-A Tacoma before their series opener against the San Diego Padres.
Seattle filled Refsnyder's spot on the 26-man roster with Wisdom and opened a place on the 40-man roster by designating right-handed pitcher Blas Castaño for assignment. The move comes as the Mariners try to cover for a 34-year-old veteran who had gone hitless in his first 16 at-bats with the club after signing in December as a platoon bat.
Wisdom arrives on the back of one of the loudest stretches in the minors. He led all of Triple-A with nine home runs in 15 games for Tacoma, batting.264 while showing the power that once made him a regular threat in Chicago. The 2012 first-round pick hit 20 or more homers in three straight seasons with the Cubs from 2021 through 2023, including a career-high 28 in 2021, before his production dropped in 2024, when he hit.171 with eight homers, two triples, seven doubles and a.629 OPS in 75 games.
The Mariners have seen Wisdom before, though not in a game. They first signed him in November 2019 and released him in August 2020 without using him in the organization, then brought him back on a minor league deal in January. He spent 2025 with the Kia Tigers in the Korean Baseball Organization, hitting.236 with 35 homers in 119 games, and his career line now sits at.209/.291/.459 with 88 home runs and a.750 OPS across parts of seven seasons with the Cardinals, Rangers and Cubs.
Castaño's departure is a quieter part of the same transaction, but it is the part that opens the door. The 27-year-old made his lone major league appearance in May 2025, allowing three runs and four hits in three innings, and now Seattle has chosen roster flexibility over keeping him in the fold. For the Mariners, Tuesday's move was built around immediate depth: Refsnyder is away on family leave, and Wisdom gets another major league chance because his bat forced the issue in Tacoma.
That leaves the bigger question with Wisdom, not Seattle's paperwork. The club has a temporary need at the plate, but it is also giving at-bats to a player whose best trait has always been power, and whose recent minor league surge suggested there may still be more of it left.
