Stark clears waivers, remains in Mariners' system

Sunday was a rough one for Denny Stark, who the Mariners designated for assignment through no fault of his own. Stark had pitched well in relief this season -- one bad outing, when he essentially was left in a game to save the rest of the bullpen, inflated his ERA to 6.55. Remove the six runs he allowed in that inning against the Rangers on May 5, and the ERA would be 1.80.

But the Mariners were in crisis mode with their catching over the weekend (Rob Johnson banged up; Guillermo Quiros ineffective) and needed to call up Jamie Burke. So the team designated Stark, meaning they had 10 days to trade, release or outright his contract to the minor leagues provided he cleared waivers. He did, and today the Mariners announced that Stark has been outrighted to Class AAA Tacoma.

It's good to see Stark not only remain with the organization where he started (with the AquaSox in 1996) but also with the team that gave him a second chance. Stark's career seemed over in 2007 after two Tommy John elbow operations. Former scouting director Greg Hunter tried out Stark in Arizona in the spring of 2008 and signed him, again with no guarantee how his arm would respond. He went 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 outings late last season at Tacoma, and spent a month with the Mariners this year when they needed bullpen help. And he truly was a help.

It may be difficult for Stark to make it back to the big-league club because he's not on the 40-man roster anymore, but don't bet against it. He already has come back from much, much worse.