Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Trending toward Opening Day spot
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Hummel, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Brewers on Monday, is projected to make the Opening Day roster by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.
Kramer fleshed out his position-by-position Opening Day roster prognosis Friday, and Hummel, who can fill in at catcher and the corner outfield spots, added to this terrific spring Monday with a multi-hit effort that pushed his Cactus League average to .333 and his homer tally to four. The 28-year-old, who logged the first 201 plate appearances of his big-league career last season with the Diamondbacks after spending six-plus seasons in the minors, has been a constant presence on the basepaths all spring, and Kramer notes Hummel's defensive versatility would give the Mariners more flexibility with the workloads of the top backstop duo of Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Could play several spots in 2023
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Mariners manager Scott Servais mentioned Friday that Hummel will start moving around the field in upcoming Cactus League games, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Hummel has been focused on catching in the early part of camp, but the team wants to see him at several spots in the second half of the Cactus League schedule. Acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Kyle Lewis deal, Hummel will likely be the third catching option behind Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy, but he could also see playing time at the corner outfield and infield positions.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Traded to Mariners
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Hummel was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners in exchange for Kyle Lewis on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Hummel made his major-league debut in 2022 and slashed .176/.274/.307 with three homers, 20 runs, 17 RBI and four stolen bases over 66 games with the Diamondbacks. The 27-year-old has displayed some promise in the minors and has the ability to serve as a catcher, outfielder and designated hitter. If Hummel makes the Mariners' Opening Day roster in 2023, he'll likely be forced to settle for a depth role since Seattle has plenty of talent behind the dish and in the outfield.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Starts at catcher
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Hummel started at catcher and went 1-for-4 in Wednesday's 18-2 loss to Philadelphia.
All five of Hummel's starts since being recalled Aug. 9 have come behind the dish. Normally an outfielder, Hummel added catching duties to his resume in 2022, and any playing time for the rest of the season will likely come as a catcher, as Arizona's outfield is crowded with some of the organization's best prospects, in addition to the suddenly valuable Jake McCarthy. Daulton Varsho -- one of the prospects in the outfield that came up through the system as a catcher -- could also be used behind the plate, but he's primarily focused on right field.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Sent down Monday
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Hummel was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Monday.
Hummel lost out on some playing time recently and went 0-for-13 with an RBI and four strikeouts over his last five games. He should see more consistent at-bats in the minors, while Jake McCarthy was called up to provide additional outfield depth for the Diamondbacks.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Sits after four straight starts
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Hummel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Hummel went 4-for-15 with a triple, a walk, four runs, an RBI and two stolen bases while starting in each of the past four games, but three of those starts came against left-handed pitching. With righty Alex Cobb on the hill for San Francisco on Wednesday, the switch-hitting Hummel will head to the bench for the series finale. He looks as though he'll be stuck in a short-side platoon role while all of David Peralta, Alek Thomas, Daulton Varsho and Ketel Marte are healthy and available.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Active in win
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Hummel started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Monday's 8-3 win over the Giants.
Hummel was recently called up, giving Arizona another right-handed bat -- he's a switch hitter -- to deploy against the southpaws, like San Francisco's Carlos Rodon. The 27-year-old outfielder batted .178 during his first MLB stint in 2022, but after a productive stretch at Triple-A Reno, Hummel has hit in three consecutive games with two stolen bases.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Recalled by Arizona
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Hummel was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.
Hummel hit just .178 over 41 major-league games to begin the season, but he performed much better after being demoted to the minors. He slashed .346/.477/.500 with two homers, 13 runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases over 14 games in Reno and will rejoin the big-league club after Pavin Smith was sent down.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Heads to Triple-A
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Hummel was optioned to Triple-A Reno Saturday.
Hummel had been with the Diamondbacks since the start of the season, but he hit just .178 (18-for-101) over 41 games, so he will head to the minors and try to get back on track.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Not starting Saturday
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Hummel isn't starting Saturday against the Dodgers.
Hummel entered as a pinch hitter during the last two games, and he went 0-for-2 with a run and a walk. He'll remain out of the lineup Saturday with Daulton Varsho serving as the designated hitter and Jose Herrera starting behind the dish.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Not starting Thursday
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Hummel isn't starting Thursday against the Dodgers.
Although Hummel was activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers, he'll be out of the lineup. The 27-year-old should serve as the Diamondbacks' primary designated hitter now that he's healthy, but Christian Walker will serve as the DH while Jake McCarthy enters the lineup in right field Thursday.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Back from COVID-19 IL
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Hummel (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.
Hummel was placed on the COVID-19 IL last week and will rejoin the Diamondbacks ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers. The 27-year-old has appeared in 32 games in his first taste of big-league action this year and has a .190/.313/.354 slash line with two home runs, eight RBI and two stolen bases.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Not starting Monday
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Hummel isn't starting Monday against the Dodgers.
Even though Seth Beer was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Sunday, Hummel will be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last seven games. Daulton Varsho will serve as the designated hitter while Jose Herrera starts behind the dish.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Slugs second homer in win
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Hummel went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Nationals.
Hummel batted leadoff after riding the bench for two games against Washington and gave his batting average a much-needed boost. Through his first 12 games in the majors, the 27-year-old is slashing .154/.353/.385.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: On base five times
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Hummel served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-2 with four walks and a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning win over Houston.
Hummel batted leadoff, as he's done in two previous starts, and extended rallies in the second and 10th innings that produced all of Arizona's runs. He showed a knack for working counts during spring training, drawing eight free passes in 32 plate appearances. While his .167 batting average doesn't spark interest, there are several Diamondbacks struggling throughout the order. If Hummel continues to generate offense, he could work his way into more regular playing time.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Starts against lefty
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Hummel served as the designated hitter and batted leadoff against left-handed starter Sean Manaea in Friday's 3-0 loss to San Diego. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Hummel is a switch-hitting outfielder and one of the few righty hitters available for Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. This would have been a spot for Jordan Luplow, but his oblique injury landed him on the injured list to start the season. More will be learned about Lovullo's plans against southpaws Sunday, when San Diego's scheduled starter is lefty Blake Snell.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Makes first MLB appearance
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Hummel walked as a pinch hitter in Thursday's 4-2 win over San Diego.
The 27-year-old Hummel won a roster spot after the Diamondbacks placed Jordan Luplow (oblique) on the injured list. The switch-hitting outfielder will fill a depth role and could emerge as a platoon option for any of David Peralta, Pavin Smith or Daulton Varsho, being the only rostered outfielder who bats from the right side.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Closing in on roster spot
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Hummel's chances of earning a roster spot improved after Arizona announced Jordan Luplow sustained an oblique strain and may open the season on the injured list, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
Hummel, a switch hitter, already stood a good chance of making the roster as the lone righty among a bunch of left-handed swingers in the outfield. The 27-year-old is enjoying success at the plate in spring training, going 5-for-17 with five walks, a home run, three RBI and six runs scored. "I've been really impressed with his approach and his ability to command the strike zone," manager Torey Lovullo said. "He just has a lot of good baseball concepts that he's applying every single day." Hummel, who was acquired from the Brewers last season in the Eduardo Escobar trade, has not yet appeared in a regular season MLB game. He slashed .311/.432/.546 with 12 home runs, 21 doubles, six triples, 52 RBI and 70 runs scored over a combined 92 games at Triple-A Nashville and Triple-A Reno in 2021.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Added to 40-man roster
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Hummel's contract was selected by the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Hummel was traded from the Brewers to the Diamondbacks in late July, and he'll now be protected from the Rule 5 draft. He slashed .311/.432/.546 with 12 home runs, 70 runs, 52 RBI and four stolen bases at the Triple-A level in 2021, and he'll likely be in the mix to make his big-league debut next year.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Acquired from Brewers
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Hummel and fellow minor-leaguer Alberto Ciprian were traded from the Brewers to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday in exchange for infielder Eduardo Escobar, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.
Hummel has hit well at the Triple-A level in 2021 with a .254/.435/.508 slash line, six homers, 41 walks, 15 RBI and 27 runs in 168 plate appearances. The 26-year-old is listed as an outfielder but has also seen time at catcher and first base this season.
