Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners Notebook: 3 things from local minor league teams
The Seattle Mariners made a trade that went under the radar in May, acquiring 27-year-old minor leaguer Jake Slaughter from the Chicago Cubs for relief pitcher Tyson Miller.
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Slaughter came to the Mariners’ system with strong power numbers, owning an .879 OPS with five homers in 32 games for Triple-A Iowa. And on Monday night, fans of the Tacoma Rainiers got the chance to see a particularly impressive example of his power at the plate.
If you’ve ever been to Cheney Stadium, home of the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, you know about the very tall wall in center field. And that means you know how hard it is for a hitter to homer over that wall.
Well, add Slaughter to the very short list of players who have done it.
HE SLAUGHTERED THIS ONE! Jake clears the center field wall at Cheney Stadium with a two-run home run that went 452 feet. pic.twitter.com/04dw4LggJ8
— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) July 2, 2024
That’s a 452-foot home run, an absolutely mammoth blast from Slaughter that needed not just distance to get over the wall (which is 425 feet away from home plate) but also towering height to clear it.
Slaughter’s blast was just one of three on the night in the Rainiers’ 7-3 win over the Salt Lake Bees, with the other two coming from some familiar names for Mariners fans: Tyler Locklear and Jonatan Clase, a pair of rookies who have made their MLB debuts with Seattle this season.
After going 1 for 3 with a walk on Monday, Slaughter has a .278/.363/.413 slash line for a .776 OPS with seven homers, 13 doubles, 36 RBIs and 36 runs scored over 68 Triple-A games combined between Iowa and Tacoma this season. The LSU product was an 18th-round MLB Draft pick by Chicago in 2018.
The Rainiers are in Tacoma for two more games against the Bees on Tuesday (7:05 p.m.) and Wednesday (6:05 p.m.), then will head out on the road for the next two weeks.
Santos set for M’s system debut
Speaking of those Rainiers home games, Tuesday night will be one worth keeping tabs on.
Mariners relief pitcher Gregory Santos was scheduled to join Tacoma for a rehab assignment on Tuesday, where he will throw a pitch as a member of the Mariners organization for the first time in a competitive game.
More: Mariners reliever Santos to begin rehab assignment
Seattle acquired Santos in an offseason trade from the Chicago White Sox, but the high-leverage option has been sidelined since the start of spring training due to a lat injury. He pitched against some Mariners hitters in live batting practice sessions last week, and the reviews were strong.
“He would be a weapon in the bullpen for a team like us, and I’m just excited for him to get back,” said Mariners second baseman Ryan Bliss, who faced Santos in both live BPs. “… (Santos’ sinker) is 98 mph with splitter movement. You really just don’t see that. I mean, the ball drops out of nowhere, you don’t really see it. It’s just something unique and it’s a really good pitch.”
With Santos starting his rehab assignment Tuesday, it remains to be seen if he could debut with the Mariners before or after the MLB All-Star break, which starts in less than two weeks.
Meanwhile in Everett
Finally, let’s take a trip up I-5 to look at the strong start Lazaro Montes is having with the High-A Everett AquaSox.
Called up from Single-A Modesto last week, the 19-year-old outfielder is 9 for 25 (.360) through his first six games for Everett. Montes has two doubles, a homer, and three walks to eight strikeouts so far at High-A, and has reached base safely in each of his six contests.
Montes is the Mariners’ No. 4 prospect and the No. 53 overall prospect in baseball as ranked by MLB.com, and he checks in at No. 49 overall per Baseball America.
#Mariners No. 4 prospect Lazaro Montes has hit safely in each of his first six Northwest League games with a homer, five RBIs and three walks.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/skOmIxjVfK
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) July 2, 2024
The AquaSox will wrap up a series at Vancouver with a game each Tuesday and Wednesday, then will be back at Funko Field in Everett for three 7:05 p.m. games against the same Canadians on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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The Seattle Mariners added depth at catcher by acquiring 29-year-old Jhonny Pereda from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.
In a corresponding move, the Mariners designated right-handed reliever Jackson Kowar for assignment to clear space on their 40-man roster.
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Pereda joins free agent addition Andrew Knizner as potential backup catcher options for Seattle behind Cal Raleigh. The Mariners signed the 30-year-old Knizner to a one-year contract in December.
Pereda made his MLB debut in April 2024 with the Miami Marlins and spent the 2025 season with the Athletics and Minnesota Twins. The Venezuelan native has appeared in 48 career MLB games, slashing .241/.299/.296 with six doubles.
Pereda was designated for assignment by the Twins last Friday. He has one minor league option remaining.
Kowar, 29, was acquired by the Mariners as part of the December 2023 trade that sent outfielder Jarred Kelenic to the Atlanta Braves.
Kowar missed the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent last season hopping between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. He made 15 relief appearances with the Mariners last year, posting a 4.24 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks in 17 innings after being activated from the injured list in late May.
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SEATTLE – We start off dry on Tuesday, then the chance of showers returns this evening. We have been dry for 14 days now with zero measurable rainfall at SEA Airport. Late Tuesday into Wednesday we could see potential freezing rain at the passes. Winds will be gusty at times Tuesday from the east, then switch to more westerly winds by Wednesday.
We start off dry on Tuesday, then the chance of showers returns this evening.
What’s next:
We will see mostly cloudy skies Tuesday with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s, with showers returning by the late evening hours.
We will see mostly cloudy skies Tuesday with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s.
A few showers will start to move in later Tuesday, with snowflakes or freezing rain into early Wednesday.
A few showers will start to move in later Tuesday, with snowflakes or freezing rain into early Wednesday.
Winds are forecasted to pick up Wednesday as our next system starts to roll through. Strongest winds will be along the coast and north interior.
Winds are forecasted to pick up Wednesday as our next system starts to roll through. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Shower chances continue through the rest of the week with milder afternoon temperatures. Snow levels will also be high through Friday, reaching 6000 to 7000ft. Forecast is looking a little drier for the weekend, with a few sprinkles still in the forecast for now.
Shower chances continue through the rest of the week with milder afternoon temperatures.
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Over the past month, Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has seemingly struck the right balance between attacking downhill and taking the yardage in front of him, while still mixing in the tantalizing elusiveness and explosion that makes him such a dangerous home-run threat.
It’s resulted in the best stretch of his career.
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And it was on display again in Sunday night’s NFC Championship, as Walker totaled 111 yards from scrimmage to help Seattle advance to the Super Bowl with a 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Walker rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while adding four catches for 49 yards. And he did so while taking on the bulk of the workload in the Seahawks’ first game since second-leading rusher Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending torn ACL.
“I thought Ken Walker was outstanding last night, considering he was being hit in the backfield (on some plays) almost as soon as he was handed the ball,” Bob Stelton said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “He was driving the pile. The legs were churning.
“It just really felt like he set a tone,” Stelton added. “He ran with an attitude. And it was really cool to see that, because they needed it.”
Kenneth Walker III TOUCHDOWN. Seattle starts fast.
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/iH8SOGpK5o— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026
Walker set that tone on the Seahawks’ opening drive, turning a potential loss of yardage into a hard-fought 4-yard gain while bulldozing his way to the Rams’ 2-yard line. Then, on the ensuing third-and-goal play, Walker showcased his spectacular explosion by bouncing outside and racing around the edge for a 2-yard TD to put Seattle on the board.
Walker really dazzled on the next possession, when he led the Seahawks on a field-goal drive with an impressive three-play sequence. It began with Walker bursting through a hole for an 8-yard gain. On the next play, he unleashed a jaw-dropping juke on linebacker Omar Speights for another 8-yard gain. And he followed that by taking a screen pass for 14 more yards.
“That juke he put on Omar Speights, that was amazing,” Stelton said. “… He had the defender grabbing at air.”
This was nasty by Kenneth Walker III
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9V7pJ3DQCd— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2026
During a third-quarter touchdown drive, Walker had another tough, physical run where he pushed the pile an extra 5 yards for an 11-yard gain.
And in the game’s closing minutes, Walker kickstarted a pivotal clock-chewing drive by catching a short pass in the flat and eluding three defenders on his way to a 15-yard gain.
“He had a lot of great runs,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said during his Monday afternoon press conference. “He really did. And talk about hidden yardage within that game, he’s responsible for a lot of those hidden yards.
“I mean, we’d like to block him a little bit better at points. But when you have a guy like K9, he can make it right for you, so that was awesome.”
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