The Lazaro Montes Mariners promotion arrives as Seattle looks to revive its fading postseason hopes. The 21-year-old slugger is headed to the big-league roster after crushing 38 home runs in the minors this year, including 10 in August.
Seattle is counting on his power translating in September. The 6-foot-5 Cuban is expected to join the club Tuesday during a three-game set in Boston.
Whether he appears immediately at Fenway Park, which typically rewards right-handed hitters, will be up to manager Dan Wilson. Boston opened the series with left-hander Peyton Tolle, is slated to start right-hander Sonny Gray on Wednesday, and left-hander Pablo Sandoval on Thursday.
Splits have defined Montes’ 2026. He has struggled against left-handers, batting .201 with six homers, while doing damage versus right-handers with 32 homers and a .274 average.
He began the season at Double-A Arkansas and moved to Triple-A Tacoma on July 7. His batting average climbed 40 points after the promotion, from .234 to .274.
“He loves the game. He loves being around the game,” Wilson said during spring training in Peoria, Arizona, according to comments he gave to the Associated Press. “His energy’s contagious.”
That enthusiasm could provide a lift to a veteran lineup that has labored through the summer.
Montes’ March To Mariners
Seattle signed Montes for $2.5 million in January 2022 when he was 17. He was scouted and signed out of the Dominican Republic, where his family relocated in 2018 so he could train with noted instructor Aldo Marrero.
Marrero also worked with Houston Astros star Yordan Alvarez, who is chasing a 2026 Triple Crown and currently leads the AL in batting average (.317), home runs (37), and RBI (93).
Evaluators have noted similarities in Montes’ bat speed and launch profile. He was ranked the No. 8 international prospect by MLB Pipeline at the time and is the first player from the 2022 international signing class to reach MLB.
In 2025, he notched several highlights, including an appearance in the All-Star Futures Game. Across his minor league career, he has hit 114 home runs in 497 games, along with 613 strikeouts.
Montes brings a strong arm suited for right field, though his overall defense remains a work in progress. Earlier this year he made an all-out, highlight-reel play.
Victor Robles is Seattle’s top defensive option in right and has been platooning with left-handed hitter Dominic Canzone, who has shifted more often to designated hitter since Luke Raley was sidelined in late July and later underwent season-ending elbow surgery.
Right-handed DH-outfielder Taylor Ward, acquired at the trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles, has hit .113 in 18 games with Seattle.
Using Montes at DH is on the table. However, young hitters often need time to adjust to the role, and the Mariners need immediate impact.
Why Mariners Need Montes
Seattle sits five games back of a playoff spot with 25 games to play. The wild-card chase is crowded, with eight teams within 5 1/2 games of the current leaders, Houston and Cleveland, for two available berths.
The greater concern is run production. Seattle ranks 30th in MLB with 530 runs, an average of 3.87 per game. Last year, the club finished 10th in scoring at 4.73 runs per game and won the AL West at 90-72. Even a perfect 25-0 finish would leave the Mariners at 89-73.
Seattle fell two runs short of a first World Series appearance last year, losing Game 7 of the AL Championship Series to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 after leading 3-1 into the bottom of the seventh.
On Sunday, the Mariners managed one hit in a 7-0 defeat in Toronto, extending their skid to four and dropping their team batting average to an MLB-worst .227.
The 2025 middle-order “Terrific Trio” of catcher Cal Raleigh, outfielder Julio Rodriguez, and first baseman Josh Naylor have scuffled at the plate in 2026.
Randy Arozarena has been the offensive bright spot, sitting at 20 homers, 20 steals, 56 RBI, and a .268 average, on pace to mirror his 2025 output of 27 homers, 31 steals, and 76 RBI with a .238 average.
In February, Montes told the Associated Press he shares a special bond with fellow Cuban Arozarena, praising the competitive fire Cubans bring to the sport and calling it meaningful to carry that cultural identity into the majors.
Lazaro Montes Mariners outlook and Seattle Mariners’ Future
The 2026 season has fallen short of expectations in Seattle, with injuries playing a role.
Offseason pickup Brendan Donovan, acquired to set the table at the top of the order while handling third base, has been limited to 39 games due to multiple injuries. Raley, top shortstop prospect Cole Emerson, and starter Emerson Hancock are also out.
There are reasons for optimism. Rookie Cole Young has contributed at second base. Two weeks ago, top pitching prospect Kade Anderson was promoted to reinforce the rotation. Now the opportunity shifts to Montes.
Seattle has the talent to get hot and mount a memorable charge that could carry into October.
Realistically, the odds remain long for the Seattle Mariners in 2026, in a year when broader anxieties about the future have extended well beyond sports.