Mariners’ first-round pick is on a tear. And it landed him spot in Arizona Fall League

The Seattle Mariners’ prospect you really want to get to know: first baseman Evan White.

The Mariners’ first-round pick last year out of the University of Kentucky is on a tear at the plate. The Mariners loved him for his glove and potential with the bat, but his past 23 games for high Single-A Modesto he’s slashed .356/.452/.678 with five home runs, seven doubles and three triples with 23 RBI.

White is considered the Mariners’ No. 2 prospect by Baseball America.

“He’s got that Gold Glove-type defense and he can run and play first base,” Mariners farm director Andy McKay said. “And he’s been hitting the ball as hard as anybody. He’s put together a very solid season.”

And on Thursday White was listed among the Mariners’ contingent for the Arizona Fall League’s 2018 season, along with six other Mariners prospects to play for the Peoria Javelinas – a season that runs from Oct. 9-Nov. 17.

The other Mariners prospects headed include Triple-A Tacoma outfielder Ian Miller and the rest from Double-A Arkansas: catcher Joe DeCarlo, infielder Chris Mariscal, right-hander David McKay, left-hander Anthony Misiewicz and right-hander Wyatt Mills.

White for the season has hit .296/.369/.450 with 11 home runs, seven triples and 23 doubles. He’s headed to Arizona as the Mariners’ priority selection, which means he was selected despite not playing at the required Double-A level or higher this season.

Mariners amateur scouting director Scott Hunter raved during the June draft of how involved White was and him wanting to get to know the draft picks right away. But McKay was impressed with White’s personality – saying the 22-year-old frequently leads the charge in community service projects and he often leads Sunday Bible studies in the clubhouse.

“He’s a very special human being,” McKay said. “And he’s a tremendous athlete and and a really good hitter. We couldn’t be happier with what we have. Any time you have your first-round pick who is likely your best teammate as well it’s a pretty special combination.”

The roster did not include No. 1-ranked prospect and outfielder Kyle Lewis, the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2016. He’s currently with Double-A Arkansas after missing the first portion of the season recovering from a minor knee injury before then heading to high Single-A Modesto.

Segura out

Jean Segura was a late scratch from the Mariners’ series opener against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.

He fouled a pitch off of his shin and exited in Wednesday’s loss to the Padres, but Mariners manager Scott Servais had told reporters then that X-rays were negative. Segura was originally in Thursday’s lineup at shortstop, but the Mariners moved Dee Gordon to shortstop, Robinson Cano to second and Ryon Healy to first base to adjust.

Servais didn’t seem so pleased with that, not having his All-Star shortstop to start a critical series, when talking with reporters after Thursday’s win.

“Jean pulled himself out today,” Servais said. “He got a bruise on his shin.”

New Mariner

The Mariners acquired minor league utility player Kristopher Negron from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma.

The 32-year-old played in two games with the Diamondbacks this year, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, but most of his season has been with Triple-A Reno, where he hit .283 (105-for-371) with 15 home runs, 17 doubles and 45 RBI.

Negron has played five big-league seasons between the Reds and D-Backs, hitting .216 in 112 games. And he adds defensive versatility, having played every position in the big leagues except for pitcher and catcher.

Altavilla healthy

Right-handed reliever Dan Altavilla on Wednesday was activated off of the disabled list in his recovery from a strained ulnar collateral ligament.

For now, though, he’ll remain with Triple-A Tacoma after his last big-league appearances came on June 6 in Houston, when he allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief. He had a run of 8 1/3 innings going without allowing a run before the injury.

Altavilla in 22 appearances (20 2/3 innings) with the Mariners this season has a 2.61 ERA and 23 strikeouts.

On tap

Right-hander Mike Leake starts the second of four games for the Mariners against the Athletics, who will start right-hander Mike Fiers (10-6, 3.15 ERA) in the 7:05 p.m. game Friday at the Oakland Coliseum. The game will broadcast on Root Sports and 710-AM radio.

This story was originally published August 30, 2018 at 7:55 PM.