Mariners claim pitcher Cody Martin on waivers from Oakland

The first player acquisition under new Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto is…right-handed pitcher Cody Martin.

The Mariners acquired Martin, 26, on Monday in a waiver claim from Oakland and cleared space in a corresponding move on their 40-man roster by releasing veteran reliever Logan Kensing.

Martin was 2-5 with a 7.92 ERA last season in 25 games, including two starts, for Atlanta and Oakland, which obtained him from the Braves in a July 2 trade.

Kensing, 33, spent most of last season at Triple-A Tacoma before getting an Aug. 23 promotion to the big leagues. He closed the season by going 2-1 with a 5.87 ERA for the Mariners in 19 games.

The move to add Martin, A Gonzaga alum, projects as one intended to add organizational rotation depth — most likely at Tacoma. He has two options remaining.

Atlanta selected Martin in the seventh round of the 2011 draft, and he spent four minor-league seasons pitching primarily as a starter before making the Braves’ big-league at the start of last season.

Martin is 31-29 with 3.24 ERA in 118 games over five minor-league seasons. He was a combined 5-7 with a 4.01 ERA last season in 18 games, including 17 starts, at Triple-A Gwinnett and Nashville.

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Mariners claim pitcher Cody Martin on waivers from Oakland."