Seattle placed RHP Kazuhiro Sasaki back on the disabled list one week ago today. However, he's not suffering from the same back problem that bothered him earlier in the year. The closer reportedly bruised several ribs when he slipped while carrying a suitcase upstairs when the Mariners returned from their last road trip. Seattle doesn't know when to expect him back, though he's not healing quickly, so he probably won't be able to rejoin the team when he's eligible to leave the DL on June 22nd.

RHP Jeff Nelson and LHP Arthur Rhodes are fully capable of covering the closing duties while Sasaki is absent. However, the Mariners are growing a bit concerned about overusing those two and right-handed setup man Shigetoshi Hasegawa, so Manager Bob Melvin may begin trying to give more innings to the rest of the pen, especially in low impact situations.

In order to fill Sasaki's roster slot, the Mariners called up RHP Julio Mateo, who had lost his spot to LHP Matt White the day before. Mateo's flyball tendencies would likely ruin him if he pitched out of almost any other home park. However, his other skills are solid, so he's an effective reliever with Seattle.

The Mariners acquired White from the Red Sox for OF-S Shelton Fulse. Looking atWhite when Boston activated him from the DL, I was unimpressed and felt the Red Sox needed to fill the bullpen opening with someone able to help them now. I'm pleased Boston was able to dump the Rule 5 pick and obtain something in return.

Seattle has a strong pen, a solid bench, and is leading the division by 7.5 games, so they are better able to carry a White's dead weight. However, if the Mariners start to slip in the division or find themselves in a roster crunch as players return from the disabled list, they shouldn't hesitate to send White back to Cleveland.

The Mariners drafted Fulse out of high school with their third round pick of the 1999 draft. He split 2000 and 2001 between the A Midwest League and the A+ California League before settling at A+ last year. Fulse returned to the CAL league this season and was hitting .280 with a .396 OBP and .408 SLG on 44 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, and 2 HR with a 26:35 BB:K and 16/21 SB% in 157 AB at the time of the trade. While the 21-year-old looks ready for AA, the Red Sox placed him with their A+ Florida State League affiliate. Fulse has displayed a solid walk rate throughout his career and possesses moderate speed skills, so he could develop into a reserve outfielder if given an opportunity. I don't believe Seattle helped their organization by dealing Fulse for White.