Lazaro Montes homered in his major league debut Tuesday night at Fenway Park, one inning after his first career hit drove in a run.
The 21-year-old Cuban outfielder walked in his first plate appearance, singled home Josh Naylor in the third, and hit a solo home run to center in the fifth.
https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/2094943396171264458
The debut
Second inning — walked against Jedixson Paez, then scored on Randy Arozarena's three-run home run.
Third inning — singled to right off Paez, scoring Naylor. First career hit, first career RBI.
Fifth inning — homered to center off Wyatt Olds. First career home run.
How to watch
https://twitter.com/MarinersGlaze/status/2094926210753343537
How to watch
Mariners at Red Sox
Tuesday, Sept. 1 — 6:45 p.m. ET / 3:45 p.m. PT
Fenway Park, Boston
Streaming: MLB.TV
Radio: Seattle Sports, pregame from 2:30 p.m. PT
Bryan Woo started for Seattle, Jedixson Paez for Boston.
The Seattle lineup
Randy Arozarena (R) LF
Dominic Canzone (L) RF
Julio Rodríguez (R) CF
Cal Raleigh (S) C
Josh Naylor (L) 1B
Cole Young (L) 2B
Lazaro Montes (L) DH
J.P. Crawford (L) SS
Brock Rodden (S) 3B
Who he is
Montes is 21, born in Cuba on Oct. 22, 2004, and signed with Seattle as an international free agent in January 2022.
He's 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, and the power is the entire profile. This season he hit .249/.369/.558 with 38 home runs across Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma — 25 in Arkansas, then 13 more after a July promotion, including nine in August alone. Ninety-six RBIs, 99 runs, in 123 games.
He has 114 minor league home runs in five seasons, and has posted a wRC+ of at least 136 at every stop since 2022.
MLB Pipeline ranked him the No. 56 prospect in baseball at the time of his promotion. FanGraphs had him 81st, with a 2027 ETA.
https://twitter.com/SeaTimesSports/status/2094922920954900951
The scouting report is a bet
FanGraphs grades his raw power at 65, projecting to 70. That's near the top of the scale.
His hit tool grades 30, projecting to 40.
That gap is the whole report: as much raw power as anyone in the minors, and a real question about how much of it plays. He struck out in 30.6% of his plate appearances this year and has never been below 19% at any level. Projection systems have him hitting somewhere around .210 the rest of the way.
What argues for him is that the strikeout rate didn't get worse when he moved to Triple-A, and that the power shows the other way — his 37th home run, on Aug. 22, went 415 feet to the opposite field.
Scouts have suggested designated hitter is his eventual position.
What it means for Seattle
The Mariners are 64-74 and five games out of the third wild card, so this is closer to a look at 2027 than a playoff push.
Randy Arozarena is expected to reach free agency and is likely priced out of Seattle's budget. Julio Rodríguez and Taylor Ward hold two outfield spots, and Dominic Canzone has been the primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Where Montes fits is unsettled.
The promotion also makes Seattle eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive, which could earn the club an extra 2028 draft pick if Montes finishes high enough in Rookie of the Year voting — assuming the system survives the next collective bargaining agreement. The current one expires Dec. 1.
He found out on Sunday
Tacoma manager John Russell told him in front of the Rainiers after Sunday's game, and the Mariners posted the video.
Montes hugged his teammates, longest with fellow prospect Michael Arroyo. Infielder Leo Rivas pushed him to give a speech in English.
"This is amazing for me," he said. "Thank you for everyone. I learned from everybody here. And, I mean, I can't even speak, man. But I love everybody, I love you."
https://twitter.com/milb_central/status/2094893400046592145
Also debuting Tuesday
Rosters expanded from 26 to 28 across baseball on Tuesday, and several first-timers came with it.
Leo Bernal caught for the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, batting sixth. The 22-year-old Panamanian caught for his country at the World Baseball Classic in March and hit .269/.355/.451 with 11 home runs at Triple-A Memphis this season. Iván Herrera served as designated hitter, which put Bernal behind the plate.
Yohandy Morales batted fifth and designated hit for Washington against Atlanta.
BJ Murray Jr. batted eighth and designated hit for the Cubs against Milwaukee.
Ethan Salas, the Padres' 20-year-old catcher and the No. 23 prospect in baseball, did not start at Cincinnati. He signed for $5.6 million as the top player in the 2023 international class.
Hancel Rincón had his contract selected by St. Louis from Memphis and was available out of the bullpen.
Lineups via MLB. Prospect rankings via MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs. Statistics via FanGraphs. Quote via the Seattle Mariners.