The Mariners announced two roster moves Tuesday. Right handed pitcher Shawn Armstrong has been called up from AAA Tacoma while Nick Rumbelow has been optioned to AA Arkansas.
Armstrong will be in uniform and available for Tuesday’s (7:10 pm PT) game vs. the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Armstrong, 27 (turns 28 on Sept. 11), is 15-for-17 in save opportunities while posting a record of 2-5 with a 1.77 ERA (11 ER, 56.0 IP) in 49 relief appearances with AAA Tacoma this season. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound right-hander has struck out 82 and walked only 26 while limiting opponents to a .192 (38×198) average against. His 14 saves are tied for 4th-most in the Pacific Coast League. He has not allowed an earned run in 25 of his last 26 outings, dating back to June 14. Over this span, he is 14-for-14 in save opportunities with a 0.66 ERA (2 ER, 27.1 IP) with 44 strikeouts and 10 walks while holding opponents to a .194 (18×93) average against. He has recorded at least 1 strikeout in 11 consecutive appearances, including 8 games with multiple strikeouts, tallying 22 punchouts over that span. Right-handed batters are hitting just .170 (18×106) with 48 strikeouts vs. Armstrong, while lefties are batting .217 (20×92) with 34 strikeouts. Earlier this season, he was selected to represent the PCL in the 2018 Triple-A All-Star Game in Columbus, OH.
The native of New Bern, NC, was acquired by the Mariners from Cleveland in exchange for international slot money on Dec. 13, 2017. He made his Major League debut with the Indians in 2015 after being selected in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of East Carolina University. In parts of 3 Major League seasons with Cleveland (2015-17), Armstrong is 1-0 with a 3.53 ERA (17 ER, 43.1 IP) with 38 strikeouts and 17 walks.
Rumbelow, 26, made 1 appearance with the Mariners after being recalled from AAA Tacoma on Aug. 22 for his 4th stint with the Major League club this season (6/14-22, 7/4-12, 8/9-11 and 8/22-28). He allowed 1 run on 3 hits (1 home run) and 1 walk while striking out 1 in a career-high 3.0 innings pitched on Aug. 22 vs. Houston. Overall this season, he has a 6.75 ERA (10 ER, 13.1 IP) with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks in 9 relief appearances with Seattle. The 6-foot, 190-pound right-hander is 1-0 with 2 saves and a 2.04 ERA (4 ER, 17.2 IP) with 25 strikeouts and 8 walks in 13 outings with AAA Tacoma this season. He began the season on the Tacoma disabled list with a brachial plexus injury before being reinstated on June 5.
Rumbelow has appeared in the Majors with New York-AL (2015) and Seattle (2018-c) and is a combined 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA (17 ER, 29.0 IP) in 26 relief appearances. He was drafted by New York-AL in the 7th round of the 2013 amateur draft out of Louisiana State University. Rumbelow was acquired by the Mariners from the Yankees in exchange for minor leaguers JP Sears (lhp) and Juan Then (rhp) on Nov. 18, 2017.
