Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear: Out again in favor of Smith
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Locklear is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians.
Locklear has now been on the bench for two straight games versus right-handers since Pavin Smith returned from the injured list. While the 24-year-old should operate as more than a short-side platoon bat, it's clear that Smith will put a significant dent in Locklear's playing time.
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Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear: Out of Monday's lineup
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Locklear is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.
Pavin Smith is starting at first base in his first game back from the injured list. Locklear had started each of the previous 16 contests and should still function as the team's primary first baseman down the stretch, but Smith could eat into his playing time somewhat.
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Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear: Swats homer in win
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Locklear went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-2 win over the Padres.
Locklear has started four straight games at first base for Arizona since he was acquired from Seattle in the Eugenio Suarez deal last week. The Diamondbacks' sell-off at the deadline suggests a pivot toward evaluating for 2026, and getting a prospect like Locklear some significant playing time is a factor in that. In addition to his homer, he's added a stolen base and a 2:5 BB:K in his time with Arizona so far. He may face a challenge for playing time once Pavin Smith (oblique) returns from the injured list.
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Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear: Expected to get first look at 1B
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The Diamondbacks plan to deploy Locklear as their primary starting first baseman after acquiring him in a trade with the Mariners on Wednesday, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.
Pavin Smith (oblique) should return from the 10-day injured list sometime in August, but he could remain mostly at designated hitter while Locklear receives an opportunity to become the Diamondbacks' long-term answer at first base. Locklear struggled during his cup of coffee in the majors last season but has slashed .316/.401/.542 with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 434 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma this season.
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Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear: Shipped to Arizona in Suarez deal
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Arizona acquired Locklear and right-handers Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos from Seattle on Wednesday in exchange for third baseman Eugenio Suarez, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
The Mariners recalled Locklear from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, but instead of backing up Josh Naylor at first base, the 24-year-old will now aim to carve out a role for himself in Arizona. Locklear has impressed in the minors this season, slashing .316/.401/.542 with 19 home runs, 82 RBI, 70 runs scored and 17 stolen bases through 434 plate appearances at Triple-A. He should step in as Arizona's primary first baseman for the immediate future, though his path to playing time will become less clear once Pavin Smith (oblique) is activated from the injured list.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Promotion made official
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The Mariners recalled Locklear from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.
Locklear has been mashing this season with Tacoma, sporting a .316/.401/.543 batting line with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases over 97 games. With Josh Naylor manning first base, Locklear's best chance at playing time would be if the Mariners open up the designated-hitter spot by shifting Jorge Polanco to second base on a permanent basis. The right-handed-hitting Locklear could also occupy the short side of a platoon with the left-handed-hitting Naylor, who has produced a 94 wRC+ versus southpaws on the season.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Call-up on tap
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The Mariners are expected to recall Locklear from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
Locklear wasn't able to crack the big-league roster out of spring training, but he's slashed .316/.401/.543 with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases over 97 games at Triple-A this season. The 24-year-old isn't likely to see regular playing time after the Mariners acquired Josh Naylor, though the right-handed-hitting Locklear could draw starts over the lefty-hitting Naylor at first base when Seattle faces southpaws.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Healthy production with Triple-A
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Locklear is slashing .282/.372/.427 with six home runs, 17 doubles, 38 RBI, 34 runs scored and 12 stolen bases over 68 games covering 293 plate appearances with Triple-A Tacoma this season.
The 24-year-old first baseman is showcasing an intriguing blend of power and speed at first base in the minor leagues. Locklear ranks as Seattle's top prospects for 2025, and he remains an option for a Mariners club that has gotten fairly lackluster production overall across their platoon at the first base. The lefty-hitting Rowdy Tellez has a .720 OPS against righties this season, and the righty-hitting Donovan Solano has a .413 OPS versus southpaws for the year.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Optioned to Tacoma
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The Mariners optioned Locklear to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.
Locklear will end up missing the cut for Seattle's Opening Day roster after going 4-for-18 with three RBI and three runs scored over 11 games in the Cactus League. The 24-year-old owns just a .535 career OPS in the majors through 49 plate appearances and will likely need to bounce back offensively in Triple-A before the Mariners consider bringing him back to the big leagues.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Dropping out of lineup Monday
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Locklear is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Locklear will hit the bench Monday after going 1-for-14 with seven strikeouts against two walks while starting in four of the Mariners' first five games following his promotion from Triple-A Tacoma on July 23. Though an everyday role at first base opened up for Locklear when Ty France was designated for assignment last week, the 23-year-old could be on the outside looking in for playing time after the Mariners acquired Justin Turner from the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Turner should be a fixture in the lineup against both right- and left-handed pitching at either first base or designated hitter once he joins the team.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Headed back to Triple-A
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The Mariners optioned Locklear to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.
Locklear will cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. The demotion doesn't come as a major surprise, as Locklear logged just three plate appearances while starting in only one of the Mariners' last six games following Ty France's return from the IL last Tuesday.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Losing out on work with France back
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Locklear is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.
Locklear has stuck around with the Mariners following Ty France's (heel) return from the injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener in Cleveland, but the rookie looks like he'll be in store for a drastic role reduction now that Seattle's top first baseman is back in action. After batting .222 with two home runs and a stolen base while starting in seven of the Mariners' subsequent eight games following his June 9 promotion from Triple-A Tacoma, Locklear now finds himself on the bench for the second day in a row.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Goes yard again
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Locklear went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 5-0 win over the Rangers.
Locklear has safely reached base in five consecutive games and has generated a hit in six of his eight big-league contests. The 23-year-old chipped in a solo home run off Jose Leclerc in the seventh inning, marking Locklear's second homer since being called up June 8. Locklear has started in all but one of Seattle's games since his promotion, filling in at first base for Ty France (heel), who's expected to return from the IL as soon as Tuesday.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: First career steal in loss
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Locklear went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in a loss to the Rangers on Saturday.
The rookie was able to reach safely for the fourth consecutive game despite not getting a hit for the first time in that span, and he parlayed his one trip on the basepaths into his first career big-league steal. Locklear is still having trouble making consistent contact as he acclimates to major-league arms -- he's struck out at a massive 40.0 percent clip in his first 25 plate appearances -- but his impressive body of work at the plate over multiple levels of the minors suggests he has the ability to progressively turn things around in that department.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Notches first big-league homer
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Locklear went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in an extra-inning loss to the White Sox on Thursday.
Garrett Crochet dominated Seattle with 13 punchouts over seven frames, and Locklear accounted for the only run against the hurler with a solo blast in the fifth inning. The long ball was Locklear's first as a major-leaguer and just his second extra-base hit of any type. Locklear has started four of five games since being called up June 9 and has hit .250 (4-for-16) with two runs and two RBI. He's struggled to make contact with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate thus far, and he could head back to the minors when Ty France (heel) is cleared to return, which could happen early next week.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Promoted to Triple-A
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The Mariners have promoted Locklear to Triple-A Tacoma, Joe Doyle of FutureStarsSeries.com reports.
Locklear will report to Tacoma on Tuesday after slashing .291/.401/.532 with eight home runs over 188 plate appearances with Double-A Arkansas. The 23-year-old could potentially push to debut before the end of the 2024 campaign if he continues to perform well in his first taste of Triple-A ball.
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Mariners' Tyler Locklear: Thriving at plate in High-A
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Locklear, the 58th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, owns a .311/.419/.572 slash line with 25 extra-base hits and 37 RBI across 217 plate appearances with High-A Everett.
Those numbers are partly constituted off a career-high 11 home runs, and Locklear has also added the first seven steals of his minor-league tenure for good measure. Locklear has also walked at an elevated 12.4 percent clip, while his 22.1 percent strikeout rate is only a tick higher than the 21.8 percent figure he carried with Single-A Modesto against a lower caliber of competition during the latter portion of the 2022 campaign. The 22-year-old's success with the AquaSox thus far appears to have him on a path to logging time at two different affiliates for the second time in as many professional seasons, as a move to Double-A Arkansas at some point this summer wouldn't be particularly surprising.
