SEATTLE (KPTV) – Looking to provide a boost to their rotation amid the dog days of summer, the Seattle Mariners officially called up top prospect Kade Anderson on Saturday.
Anderson, 22, draws the start on the mound Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs, following Seattle’s walk-off win in the series opener on Friday night.
The lefty, the third overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of LSU, has put up eye-popping stats his first professional season this summer.
In 18 starts, all for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, Anderson is 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA, striking out 135 batters over 93.1 innings.
Anderson is ranked the No. 1 prospect in baseball by The Athletic, as well as the top pitching prospect by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.
He joins a Mariners squad desperate for a late-season boost, mired in a disappointing season after coming within one win of the franchise’s first-ever World Series appearance in 2025.
Entering the weekend, Seattle (61-68) sits four games back of the division-leading Houston Astros in the AL West, with 33 games remaining in the regular season.
They’ll all-but-certainly need to win the division to make a return to the postseason, as both wildcard spots are expected to be taken by teams in the AL East.
Anderson faces a formidable Cubs lineup that has scored a National League-leading 140 runs over the past 30 days, tied for the MLB lead over the span with 40 home runs.
First pitch for Saturday’s game is set for 4:15 p.m. at T-Mobile Park, airing on FOX 12.
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