Mariners Option RHP Alex Hoppe to Triple-A Tacoma Ahead of 2026 Season

Alex Hoppe arrived in Seattle's organization with enough organizational credibility to land on the 40-man roster. Spring training just made clear he isn't quite ready for the next step.

The Mariners optioned the 27-year-old right-hander to Triple-A Tacoma on March 18, trimming their spring roster to 41 players: 33 on the 40-man, seven non-roster invitees, and one on the 60-day injured list. Hoppe has not yet made his major-league debut, and seven Cactus League appearances did little to accelerate that timeline. He allowed 10 earned runs on 10 hits across 6.2 innings this spring, walking six batters against nine strikeouts. His roughest outing came March 5 against San Diego, when he surrendered five earned runs on five hits in a single inning during a 27-6 loss. He did clean things up late — back-to-back scoreless frames against Arizona on March 9 and Chicago Cubs on March 12 offered a better look at what he can do — but the overall spring line wasn't a case for a bullpen spot on opening day.

Seattle acquired Hoppe from the Boston Red Sox on November 18, 2025, sending catcher Luke Heyman to Boston in exchange. The Mariners immediately added him to the 40-man roster, a signal they viewed him as a legitimate organizational asset worth protecting. In Boston's system last season, Hoppe split time between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, appearing in 44 games without a single start. He posted a 4.55 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 61.1 innings, striking out 73 batters while walking 34. He also converted six saves, functioning as a late-inning option at the upper levels of the Red Sox pipeline.

His career minor-league numbers across 123 games tell a similar story: a 4.76 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and 203 strikeouts over 176.0 innings, with 15 saves and a 7-13 record, all without a start. He has worked exclusively as a reliever since Boston signed him on July 26, 2022, climbing from the Florida Complex League through Greenville, Portland, and Worcester before the trade brought him west.

The path to a Mariners bullpen spot runs directly through Tacoma. If Hoppe can sharpen his command — that 73:34 strikeout-to-walk ratio from last season suggests the stuff plays, but the walk rate needs tightening at Triple-A — he could force his way into a Seattle conversation before the season ends. At 27 with 40-man status and a full season at the Triple-A level ahead of him, the window to make that debut isn't closing, but it isn't getting any wider either.