SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners bullpen added a new face before game two of a three-game set against the Athletics on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Hours before first pitch, the Mariners designated right-handed reliever Casey Legumina for assignment and recalled right-handed reliever Alex Hoppe from the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.
Hoppe's first appearance with Seattle will mark his major league debut.
Welcome to the show, Alex!We’ve called up RHP Alex Hoppe from @RainiersLand and he will make his MLB debut when he makes his first appearance. #TridentsUp🔗 https://t.co/lrScEo0R8A pic.twitter.com/DfpJnpL9o5
Hoppe is one of the more recent additions to the pitching ranks in the Mariners organization. He was acquired by Seattle in a trade Nov. 18, 2025, that sent catcher Luke Heyman to the Boston Red Sox. Hoppe had spent his entire professional career on the east coach to that point — having been selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of North Carolina-Greensboro.
Hoppe has been impressive since being acquired by Seattle. In spring training, despite finishing with an unimpressive ERA (13.50 in seven Cactus League games), he showed off impressive stuff with great underlying numbers. The biggest standout in Hoppe's repertoire was a slider with an almost straight-downward motion. His four-seam fastball also averaged in the upper-90-mile per hour range.
The 27-year-old righty began the year with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and has looked impressive. He hasn't allowed a run across eight appearances and has struck out 12 batters in eight innings pitched. He threw an immaculate inning in a 1-0 win against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys on April 7.
Hoppe has four saves in as many opportunities in the closer role for Tacoma.
ALEX HOPPE IMMACULATE INNING FOR THE WIN! pic.twitter.com/oLT2a95xD7
Part of Hoppe's success in his brief time with the Mariners has been what he's described as a complete belief from the organization in his abilities. He's also bought into the organization's pitching philosophy of attacking the strike zone.
"It's me vs. the (batter's box) in there," Hoppe said before a game against the Athletics on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park. "How many times can I put that circular ball in that box? And if I do that more times than not, I'm gonna more than likely have great success. ... I don't know if there would be a 'final frontier' (for me) because we're always trying to get better. I'm always trying to throw more strikes. There's been outings where I've walked the lead-off guy. That's never a good thing no matter what level you're at. So it's always a constant battle. But that's what baseball players are. You're constantly trying to get better at your craft."
According to a report from Daniel Kramer of MLB dot dom, the #Mariners are set to bring up Alex Hoppe tonight from Triple-A Tacoma.I spoke to Rainiers broadcaster Rylee Pay on today's #RefuseToLose podcast about how Hoppe has looked. More information, including my previous… pic.twitter.com/u9UKMePQzP
Beyond the organizational belief in Hoppe, he's also established a relationship from a player who was in a similar situation to him not that line ago.
High-leverage right-handed reliever Eduard Bazardo is another pitcher who has experience coming over from Boston to Seattle.
Bazardo, who had a seven-month stint with the Baltimore Orioles in between his time with the Red Sox and the Mariners, was acquired by the M's in a trade Aug. 1, 2023.
It took several years but Bazardo emerged into a true high-leverage arm for Seattle in 2025. He posted a 2.52 ERA that year and fanned 82 hitters in 78.2 innings pitched across 73 outings. He has a 0.96 ERA across 10 outings this season.
"We never really crossed paths but we were conversing about the levels and the affiliates and the little bit of experiences and stuff," Hoppe said. "I'm sure we'll talk more. Bazardo and I had a great relationship in spring training, too. I'm sure we'll dive a little bit more deeper into that as we get to know each other."
Time will tell whether Hoppe's role on the bullpen is a permanent one and how he will look in his first taste of major league ball. However, his stuff is intriguing and he seems to have adopted the mentality a lot of successful Mariners relievers already.
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