Mariners assign Robertson to Tacoma, lose Rasmussen on waivers

The Mariners announced two pre-holiday housekeeping waiver items Wednesday that cleaned up their roster:

They sent outfielder Dan Robertson to Triple-A Tacoma on an outright assignment after he cleared waivers, and they lost lefty reliever Rob Rasmussen to the Los Angeles Angels on a waiver claim.

Both players were designated recently for assignment to clear space on the club’s 40-man roster for free-agent signings.

The Mariners removed Rasmussen on Dec. 14 to make room for closer Steve Cishek and Robertson on Dec. 18 to accommodate the return of right-handed starter Hisashi Iwakuma.

Robertson, 30, was acquired in a Nov. 6 waiver claim from the Angels after batting .280 last season in 75 at-bats in 37 big-league games. He also batted .265 with one homer and 20 RBIs in 60 games at Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Mariners obtained Rasmussen, 26, as part of the return in a July 31 trade that sent veteran reliever Mark Lowe to Toronto. Rasmussen was 2-1 with a 10.67 ERA in 19 games for the Mariners.

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 8:40 PM with the headline "Mariners assign Robertson to Tacoma, lose Rasmussen on waivers."