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The Mariners released Haniger (shoulder) on Sunday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The 34-year-old has been sidelined for the past few weeks of camp due to shoulder soreness, and Seattle has elected to eat his $15.5 million salary for this year rather than keep him on the roster. Haniger had a .620 OPS in 121 games last season, though he played in just 118 contests over the previous two years while battling injuries.
Haniger has been out since March 8 due to discomfort in his left shoulder, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
It's unclear how severe Haniger's injury is or when he might return to the Mariners' lineup, though the fact he's gone a week without playing is discouraging. Before his injury, the 34-year-old had gone 3-for-18 with a home run and three strikeouts over seven spring games.
Mariners' Mitch Haniger: On base twice in Friday's start
Rotowire
Haniger, drawing his first start since Sept. 18, went 1-for-3 with a walk in a win over the Athletics on Friday.
The veteran outfielder has been relegated to spot duty down the stretch, as Friday marked only his sixth turn with the starting nine since the calendar flipped to September. In his 2024 return to Seattle, Haniger hasn't been able to approximate the level of production he flashed during the height of his first Mariners tenure, and he's now gone 13 games without an extra-base hit.
Mariners' Mitch Haniger: Losing out on at-bats vs. righties
Rotowire
Haniger will serve as the Mariners' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Though he'll be included in the lineup Sunday against Rangers southpaw Andrew Heaney, Haniger has fallen out of the mix for regular playing time against right-handers in September. Haniger failed to pick up a start in any of the Mariners' previous six games.
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