The Mariners have recalled first baseman Justin Smoak and placed first baseman Mike Carp on the 15-day DL with a strained left groin, the club announced Tuesday via Twitter.
Smoak has been a huge disappointment since arriving in Seattle via the Cliff Lee trade to Texas. In 243 games, he owns a putrid .217/.292/.368 line with 33 home runs and 224 strikeouts. So far, 2012 has been his worst season, as he has 85 strikeouts in 90 games, leading to a .189 average and .573 OPS.
However, with the Mariners 15.5 games out of the AL West race and 10 games out of the AL Wild Card race, the Carp injury leaves Seattle with little reason not to give Smoak a second (fourth?) chance. At 25, Smoak is running out of chances to make good on the hype that earned him the 13th spot on Baseball America's top 100 prospects list in 2010.
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