Mariners add Negrón to player development staff

SEATTLE -- Former utility player Kristopher Negrón, who spent parts of the past two seasons in Seattle, is rejoining the Mariners in a front-office role as the club has hired the 33-year-old as its new assistant to director of player development Andy McKay.

Negrón announced his retirement as a player last week after finishing out the 2019 season with the Dodgers, who acquired him by trade from the Mariners on July 29.

Negrón will assist McKay in all aspects of player development, including on-field instruction and mentoring Minor League players.

“I’ve had the unique perspective of watching Kris play in high school, competing against him in junior college and then having him be part of the Mariner family the past few years,” McKay said. “During these 15 years, whether it was in high school or the Major Leagues, Kris has earned an unparalleled level of respect from his coaches, teammates, fans and members of the media.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Kris into player development where he will immediately begin to impact our people and our process both on and off the field. This is a great day for the Mariners.”

Negrón played six seasons in the Majors with the Reds, D-backs, Mariners and Dodgers, including 28 games with Seattle from 2018-19 during which he batted .212 with one home run and four RBIs. He played 82 games with Triple-A Tacoma last year before being called up to the Mariners for 10 games in July, then finished the season with the Dodgers after being traded for Minor League infielder Daniel Castro.

In his career, Negrón played 170 games and batted .221 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs while playing every defensive position other than catcher and pitcher.