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CHICAGO -- Seattle activated Raul Ibanez from the 15-day disabled list Saturday, but the move was not without repercussions. The Mariners also announced that, to make room for Ibanez on the 25-man roster, shortstop Rich Aurilia was designated for assignment.
The Mariners have 10 days to trade, release or outright Aurilia, who is in his ninth year of Major League service. He signed a one-year contract before the season after spending his entire career with the San Francisco Giants. The Mariners are responsible for the remainder of his $3.15 million contract, unless another club picks him up.
Aurilia has struggled this season, mirroring the play of the team as a whole, and he said he's been predicting this move for a week or so. He handled the move with dignity and class, and a little gallows humor.
"My group hits in about 172 hours," he said as reporters approached him in the locker room, after asking Bret Boone to pay his one day of clubhouse dues.
"When you play for awhile and you see how the team's going, the writing is on the wall for something to happen," Aurilia said. "Of course, no player ever wants to hear the word 'designate' or 'release.' But in a sense it could be, as an individual, the best thing that happens. I really wish things would have worked out better. That's the reason I came here in the first place. I knew this was a good club and a good makeup and had a good chance to win. Obviously, this season, all the parts didn't quite fit together."
The 32-year-old veteran hit .241 (63-261) with four home runs and 28 RBIs this season. At 32-52 going into Saturday's game against the White Sox, the Mariners were looking to make some changes, and Aurilia was the first to go and probably not the last.
Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said it was tough move for three reasons: "He's a good guy, he's an accomplished player and it's part of a gamble that didn't pay off."
With no pennant to play for in the second half, the Mariners will be evaluating young talent all over the field.
"For me, we're starting a process we need to start," Mariners manager Bob Melvin said. "Nothing against Rich. I hope Rich lands on his feet, with maybe a National League club that's competing. I hope he gets into a situation where he is in a pennant race."
While Aurilia hadn't spent much time in Seattle, his teammates were visibly disappointed. Ibanez didn't want to discuss it at all.
"This is not a direct reflection of Richie, this is not his fault," Boone said. "It's the way the team has gone that brings up this type of move. If we were winning or were one or two games out of first place, Richie would be playing shortstop every day for us."
Ibanez is hitting .268 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs. He had been on the disabled list since June 4 (retroactive to June 3) with a strained right hamstring. He played in four games with Triple-A Tacoma and rejoined the Mariners on Friday.
