Former AquaSox star Lazaro Montes set to make Mariners debut
Published 11:44 am Tuesday, September 1, 2026
BOSTON – Former Everett AquaSox slugger Lazaro Montes is headed to the Big Leagues.
The Seattle Mariners announced the move on Tuesday. Montes was to join the team in Boston, and will make his Major League debut when he enters an M’s game for the first time. The Mariners also called up pitcher Hoby Milner. Infielder/outfielder Connor Joe and pitcher Nolan Kingham were designated for assignment.
The Mariners 40-man roster remains full at 40 players and Seattle’s 28-man active roster is now at 28 players.
Montes, 21, is batting .249 with 99 runs, 24 doubles, 1 triple, 38 home runs, 96 RBI and 8 stolen bases, getting on base at a .369 clip while slugging .558 for an .928 OPS in 123 games between Double-A Arkansas (79 games) and Triple-A Tacoma (44 games). In 25 August games with the Rainiers, he hit .292 with 21 runs, 5 doubles, 10 home runs, 22 RBI and a 1.054 OPS.
Among all minor league players this season, he ranks second in home runs and 12th in RBI.
Montes was the 2025 Northwest League MVP while playing for the Everett AquaSox.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound outfielder is ranked as the No. 56 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline and the No. 57 prospect by Baseball America. He is ranked as the No. 5 and No. 3 prospect in the Mariners organization by each publication, respectively.
Montes would be the 13th Mariners player to make a MLB debut at Fenway Park and the first since Sauryn Lao on April 22, 2025. He would also be the first Mariners position player to make their MLB debut at Fenway since Shed Long Jr. on May 11, 2019 and the fifth overall. Additionally, Montes would become the 10th player 21-or-younger to appear in an MLB game this year and the second Mariners player, joining infielder Colt Emerson.
The Havana, Cuba native was originally signed by the Mariners as an International Free Agent on January 15, 2022. He has appeared in parts of five minor league seasons, batting .267 with 349 runs, 96 doubles, 17 triples, 114 home runs, 392 RBI and 25 stolen bases with a .387 OBP, slugging .528 for an .915 OPS in 497 games. The majority of his defensive appearances have come in right field (418 games), while he has also appeared in left field (four games) and designated hitter (eight games).
Milner, 35, has appeared in 38 Major League games this season with the Chicago Cubs, going 1-0 with a 3.53 (14 ER, 35 2/3 IP), nine walks, 18 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP. Hoby was designated for assignment on August 29 and released by the Cubs on August 30. He signed a minor league contract with the Mariners on August 31.
Milner has appeared in parts of 10 Major League seasons with the Phillies (2017-18), Rays (2018-19), Angels (2020), Brewers (2021-24), Rangers (2025) and Cubs (2026). He has appeared in 405 career games, going 14-9 with 2 saves, a 3.80 ERA (159 ER, 377.0 IP), 103 walks, 339 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP.
Herald writer Aaron Coe contributed to this report.
