Alex Hoppe Called up by Mariners to Provide Bullpen Depth
By Jeffrey Nooney
Seattle, WA - After a tough defeat last night in the series opener against the Athletics, the Seattle Mariners have decided to shake things up a bit in the bullpen today by calling up RHP Alex Hoppe as a corresponding move to RHP Casey Legumina being designated for assignment. Hoppe has spent the 2026 season down in Tacoma, serving as the team’s closer, and will wear the number 48 for the Mariners while he’s up with the big league club.
The 27-year-old has pitched in eight games for the Rainiers, holding a 0-1 record with a 0.00 ERA and earning four saves, which leads the Pacific Coast League. In his eight innings of work, he has allowed four hits, one run (not earned), walked three, and struck out twelve. Over his four seasons in the minor leagues, Alex has a combined record of 7-14 with an ERA of 4.55 across 184 innings.
Alex Hoppe was drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Hoppe was acquired by the Mariners in a trade with the Red Sox last November, with Seattle sending minor league catching prospect Luke Heyman back to Boston in exchange for Hoppe.
When Hoppe does get into a game, he will be making his Major League debut. Yesterday was a travel day for the Rainiers, as they open a series in Oklahoma City to face the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate later tonight. He got the call around midnight, OKC time, that he was being called up to the Majors, and had to be on a plane this morning to the Pacific Northwest with a layover in Denver.
“It’s a call you kind of dream of since you were a little kid. It’s pure excitement. Obviously, anxiousness and nerves because you’re in the big leagues, like, you’re a part of a small, select group of individuals that’s done it throughout history. Just pure excitement.”
The excitement was apparent for Hoppe, who seemed to be speaking quickly and had a big grin on his face. That all makes sense when you consider that Hoppe only got three hours of sleep, the result of multiple phone calls to share the news of his call-up and an early morning to get to Seattle, so he was running “pretty high on adrenaline,” which most bullpen guys try to do anyway.
The transition from the Rainiers clubhouse to the Mariners, as he shared that he’d grown close to several Seattle players during this past Spring Training, and one he played with last year: fellow reliever Cooper Criswell. The two had played together in the Red Sox system, and Criswell helped answer any questions Hoppe had, showed him around, and was his catch partner when the pitchers began to throw ahead of tonight’s game.
This opportunity with the Mariners reflects the organization’s belief in Hoppe, which he cited as a major takeaway from his brief time with Seattle. The Mariners have become well known for getting the most out of pitchers that come into their organization, and that plan has clearly been in motion with Hoppe leading up to now. Alex shared that the organization wanted him to make a few tweaks to what he’s doing, and there was a belief that he’d help Seattle at the big-league level.
“I would say the positivity and the belief they have in me, they have told me from day one, ‘Hey, you’re gonna help us win games in the big leagues. You’re a big leaguer,’ even though I haven’t made it yet. I know I have my faults and stuff, but they told me, ‘No, do this, and you’re gonna help us. You have all the hard stuff down, make these fine little tweaks and stuff, you’ll be right here with us, competing your ass off and winning good ball games.”
In a corresponding roster move, right-handed pitcher Casey Legumina (0-1, 4.63 ERA) was designated for assignment. Nicknamed “Legs,” Casey has pitched a lot for the Mariners this season, including in last night’s loss to the Athletics, where he pitched in one inning and took the loss. Casey was out of minor league options, so a DFA was needed to remove him from the active roster.
The Mariners now have a seven-day window to either trade, release, or place Legumina on waivers. If he clears waivers, the Mariners can bring him back on a minor league deal, but he would not be on the 40-man roster. The Mariners' current 40-man roster has 39 players.
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