The Blue Jays acquired Swanson and left-hander Adam Macko from the Mariners on Wednesday in exchange for outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Swanson quietly emerged as one of the majors' top setup men in 2022, finishing with a 1.68 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 70:10 K:BB across 53.2 innings for Seattle while nabbing three wins, three saves and 14 holds. In Toronto, Swanson will face a more blocked path to the ninth-inning role with incumbent closer Jordan Romano coming off his first All-Star campaign. Swanson should at least remain a solid late-round target in deeper mixed and AL-only leagues for fantasy managers looking for stability in the ratio categories.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Takes second loss Sunday
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Swanson (2-2) took the loss against the Royals on Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits over one-third of an inning.
Swanson was also charged with his second blown save of the season in what was his second straight loss, blowing an 11-8 lead by allowing a pair of RBI singles and a two-run double. Swanson's stumbles are exceedingly rare during a season in which he's been one of manager Scott Servais' most reliable bullpen options -- he's still carrying a 1.85 ERA and 0.95 WHIP alongside an 11.7 K/9 despite the recent struggles.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Allows two runs in loss
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Swanson (2-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Athletics. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk without recording an out.
It was a disastrous outing for Swanson, who failed to record an out after he was called upon in the bottom of the seventh. He surrendered a leadoff walk to Jordan Diaz to begin the inning and then allowed back-to-back hits to put the Mariners down 2-0 before getting pulled. After not allowing a run through all of August, Swanson has now given up four runs in September but still sports a solid 1.49 ERA and 0.89 WHIP on the season.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Continues dominance Saturday
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Swanson, who notched his 13th hold with a perfect eighth inning in a win over Atlanta on Saturday, has pitched to a 2-0 record, 0.95 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with two saves and seven holds in the 19 innings he's logged since the All-Star break.
The right-hander has consistently flummoxed opposing bats all season, as he's carrying a 1.00 ERA and 0.82 WHIP overall in 47 appearances (one start). Swanson is therefore an excellent setup option for manager Scott Servais while frequently working as part of a 1-2 punch with closer Paul Sewald, who's been a revelation in his own right with 19 saves.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Snags save Saturday
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Swanson pitched a perfect inning and picked up his third save of the season in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels. He struck out one.
Manager Scott Servais opted to save usual closer Paul Sewald for the nightcap, so Swanson got a chance to close out Saturday's opener and did just that. Swanson has been as stingy as they come this season, and he now owns a 1.07 ERA over 33.2 innings.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Grabs first win
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Swanson (1-0) recorded the win over the Rangers on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on two hits over one inning.
Asked to preserve a 3-3 tie when he entered in the ninth, Swanson actually failed to do so by giving up a go-ahead RBI single to Ezequiel Duran. However, he ultimately walked away with his first win courtesy of Seattle's two-run rally in the home half of the frame. Swanson's stumble was an exceedingly rare one, as Tuesday marked only the fourth time he'd allowed a run across 29 appearances this season.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Snags second save
Rotowire
Swanson retired both batters he faced to earn the save in Monday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.
Regular closer Paul Sewald was deployed in the eighth inning, and Diego Castillo put together a shaky start of the ninth. Swanson entered with a one-run lead and two runners aboard, but he escaped by retiring Josh Smith and Marcus Semien. In July, Swanson has allowed one run over 7.1 innings, which included one outing as an opener. The 28-year-old right-hander continues to step up when called upon -- he has a 0.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 36:5 K:BB through 27.2 innings while adding two saves, six holds and a blown save this year.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Serving as opener
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Swanson will serve as the opener for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Swanson hasn't pitched since being activated from the paternity list Monday, but he'll begin Wednesday's nightcap on the mound ahead of primary pitcher Tommy Milone. Over his last 10 appearances, Swanson has posted an 11:4 K:BB and 1.04 WHIP in 8.2 scoreless innings.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Reinstated from paternity list
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Swanson (personal) was reinstated from the paternity list Monday.
Swanson was away from the team for a few days following the birth of his daughter, but he'll rejoin the Mariners after spending just two days on the paternity list. Jacob Barnes was designated for assignment by Seattle to make room on the active roster.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Away on paternity leave
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Swanson was placed on the paternity list Saturday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.
Swanson will be away from the team for a few days to be with his infant daughter. He'll likely return Tuesday against the Nationals. Matt Brash and Matt Festa were recalled Saturday to replace Swanson and Ken Giles, who landed on the injured list with shoulder tightness.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Snags first save
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Swanson walked two (one intentionally) in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Angels.
Paul Sewald had pitched each of the last two days, but the save chance interestingly went to Swanson instead of Diego Castillo, who fired a perfect eighth inning for a hold. Swanson had to navigate the top of the Angels' order, but he was able to sandwich an intentional walk of Mike Trout with lineouts from Taylor Ward and Shohei Ohtani to preserve the lead. In his last six outings, Swanson has allowed just two hits and two walks over 5.1 scoreless innings. He's proven worthy of trust from manager Scott Servais by posting a 0.93 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 27:3 K:BB in 19.1 innings this year, and his usage Saturday may signal his entrance into more high-leverage spots. He'd previously recorded four holds in his first 18 outings.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Right back on track in return
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Swanson, who fired a scoreless eighth inning during which he recorded a strikeout in a win over the Athletics on Tuesday, has put together four perfect frames and 5:0 K:BB across four appearances since his return from the injured list.
Swanson has been even better than immediately prior to suffering an elbow injury in early May, as he'd given up his first two runs of the season in his most recent two appearances at that point. He's bounced right back with a quartet of spotless efforts after spending exactly a month out of major-league game action, giving manager Scott Servais a versatile valued option for all manner of relief scenarios.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Returns from injured list
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Swanson (elbow) was reinstated from the injured list Friday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.
Swanson wound up missing a month with right elbow inflammation but is ready to go after striking out three batters across a pair of scoreless rehab innings. Anthony Misiewicz was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to clear space on the roster.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: One more rehab appearance on tap
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Swanson (elbow) is slated to make one more rehab appearance with High-A Everett before rejoining the Mariners, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Swanson was impressive while firing a scoreless second inning Saturday against High-A Eugene, and the Mariners will apparently afford him a second tune-up opportunity. Assuming all goes off without a hitch in that upcoming appearance, Swanson is slated for activation before the start of an upcoming homestand Friday against the Red Sox.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Solid in first rehab appearance
Rotowire
Swanson (elbow) fired a perfect second inning during which he recorded two strikeouts in High-A Everett's loss to Eugene on Saturday.
It was certainly an encouraging sign for the 28-year-old after last having seen game action May 10. Swanson was in the midst of an outstanding start to the season that included a 1.29 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 21:1 K:BB across 13 appearances, and Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports the right-hander may be deemed ready for activation Monday ahead of the start of a series against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Continues setback-free recovery
Rotowire
Swanson (elbow) continued to throw over the last several days without any setbacks, leaving him on track to return from the injured list when first eligible Sunday, Craig Forde of MLB.com reports.
Manager Scott Servais continues to hear nothing but good things about Swanson's rehab process. The 28-year-old, who'd produced three holds, a 21:1 K:BB, a 1.29 ERA and an 0.79 WHIP through his first 13 appearances of the season, would naturally be a welcome reinforcement for a Mariners bullpen that's seen a couple of its members struggle with consistency.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Placed on injured list
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Swanson was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation Saturday.
Swanson tossed 12 scoreless innings over his first 11 appearances in 2022, but he allowed two runs in two innings over his last two outings. It's possible that his injury contributed to his decline in results, and he'll be unavailable for at least two weeks. A timetable for his return isn't yet clear, but left-hander Danny Young was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to provide additional bullpen depth.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Retains unblemished ERA
Rotowire
Swanson fired 1.1 scoreless innings in a loss to the Rays on Thursday, keeping his ERA unblemished through 10 appearances.
The right-hander has been exceedingly sharp through the first month of the season, as in addition to not yet allowing a run, he also boasts a 13:1 K:BB across 11 innings. Swanson is sporting a sparkling 0.73 WHIP as well and and has already made four appearances of more than one inning while contributing a pair of holds.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Impressive start to season
Rotowire
Swanson, who fired two scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and recorded three strikeouts in a loss to the Astros on Saturday, sports an unblemished ERA in his first three appearances of the season.
The right-hander's strong start has been an especially welcome development after a rough spring in which he posted a 10.80 ERA in five appearances. Swanson has allowed just two hits over that first trio of outings and has generated a 4:0 K:BB in the process, although he's yet to see a hold opportunity.
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Mariners' Erik Swanson: Endures rough spring
Rotowire
Swanson wrapped up Cactus League play with a 10.80 ERA and 4:1 K:BB over five innings across five appearances. He was credited with one save.
The right-hander worked an inning in each appearance and gave up at least one earned run in three of them while surrendering 11 hits overall. The fact Swanson pitched to so much contact is at least somewhat concerning when factoring in he's once again projected to be a key middle-relief component of Seattle's bullpen. However, Daniel Kramer reports the 28-year-old had some of the best quality of contact numbers on the Mariners in 2021, a season in which he recorded a save and five holds alongside a 3.31 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 33 appearances.
