Mariners send starting pitcher Hancock to Triple-A and put reliever Tayler Saucedo on injured list

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Seattle Mariners sent starting pitcher Emerson Hancock to Triple-A Tacoma and placed reliever Tayler Saucedo on the 15-day injured list with a hyperextended right knee on Wednesday.

Hancock finished four innings with four runs allowed in his last turn on Tuesday in Minnesota. The sixth overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft is 3-3 with a 5.24 ERA in seven starts, with six home runs allowed in 34 1/3 innings.

The Mariners are expected to insert Bryan Woo into the rotation on Sunday, the next time Hancock's turn comes. Woo has not pitched yet this season because of inflammation in his elbow.

The Mariners were relieved by the diagnosis on Saucedo, who was hurt Tuesday while covering first base and forced out of the game. He has a 2.70 ERA in 13 1/3 innings.

The bullpen was reinforced with the reinstatement of Eduard Bazardo from the injured list and the recall of Kirby Snead from Tacoma. Bazardo has not pitched yet this season because of a strained rotator cuff.

Snead's first appearance will be his Mariners debut, making him the 1,000th player in franchise history to appear in a game.

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