Mariners' Christian Bergman: Sent back to minors Monday
Bergman was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.
The demotion has more to do with Bergman's lack of availability over the next few days than it does him being undeserving of a spot in the Seattle bullpen, as his performance in long relief during the weekend series with the Angels certainly proved the latter wasn't the case. He turned in five scoreless innings between his appearances Saturday and Sunday, yielding two hits and no walks while striking out three. He could be back up with the big club the next time the Mariners have a need for a fresh arm in the bullpen. In the meantime, flamethrowing right-hander Thyago Vieira was recalled from Tacoma in a corresponding move to fill the void in relief.