Well, here we are.

Mallex Smith optioned to Tacoma. Braden Bishop recalled — Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) April 30, 2019

I’m not saying Bishop is going to come up to Seattle and be an immediate upgrade over Smith offensively. Bishop is young, didn’t have a full season at Double-A last season, and is just learning Triple-A. But Bishop, who played his college ball down the street from T-Mobile at Husky Stadium, and has long been considered an elite defender in center, is certainly a defensive upgrade for a team that has been, frankly, embarrassing defensively. Between that and Bishop’s solid performance at Tacoma at the plate, he’s earned a shot to show what he can do, while Mallex Smith takes a breather.

As Kate opined/predicted yesterday, it was time to give Braden Bishop a shot and let Mallex Smith have a South Sound breather to try to get some timing back on those fastballs and some confidence/mental space to get a fresh start in Seattle soon. As far as mechanics of the roster, if Mallex stays in Tacoma for 19 days or less, he won’t burn an option year, but that, while useful to note, is not terribly important to a player of this type. Another thing to remember about him is, while he’s had ample big-league experience, he’s still just 25—he’ll likely celebrate his 26th birthday in Tacoma in a few days (try Stink, Mallex) and remains, agewise, on the upswing of his talent curve. With a little time to get things sorted, he should—though of course there are no guarantees—be able to spring back into action, Florida chain flying.

See you soon, Mallex. Let’s get going, Braden.