The Mariners signed right-hander Michael Rucker to a minor league deal earlier this month, based on Rucker’s MLB.com profile web page. Rucker’s contract included an invite to the Mariners’ massive league spring camp, as per the checklist of non-roster invitations Seattle launched yesterday.
Rucker started his faculty profession at Gonzaga, so this cope with the M’s may symbolize a return to the Pacific Northwest if the righty is ready to break camp with the workforce. After transferring to BYU later in his NCAA days, Rucker was an Eleventh-round choice by the Cubs within the 2016 draft, and he broke into the bigs with Chicago in 2021. Over 123 1/3 MLB innings from 2021-23, Rucker posted a 4.96 ERA, 22.6% strikeout charge, 46.6% grounder charge, and 9.4% stroll charge out of the Cubs’ bullpen.
These uninspiring numbers weren’t sufficient to maintain Rucker on the roster, as Chicago designated him for task in February 2024 and shortly traded him to the Phillies in a money deal. He was restricted to 30 2/3 minor league innings for the Phillies and Nationals in 2024 resulting from an arterial vasospasm in his pitching hand. The Nats outrighted Rucker off their 40-man roster following the 2024 marketing campaign, and he then didn’t pitch in any respect in 2025.
As he enters his age-32 season, Rucker is seeking to revive his profession and present what he can do within the Mariners’ Spring Coaching camp. Rucker might be extra of a candidate to pitch at Triple-A Tacoma than he’s to win a spot on Seattle’s Opening Day roster, however he can present the M’s with some skilled bullpen depth. The righty has a 4.01 ERA, 25.64K%, and seven.54% stroll charge over 107 2/3 profession innings on the Triple-A degree.
