Mariners released DH Jack Cust.

Cust was designated for assignment by the M's last week after batting just .213 with three homers and .673 OPS over 270 plate appearances. He'll likely have to earn his way back to the major leagues.

Mariners designated DH Jack Cust for assignment.

He was cleared to make room for Erik Bedard on the active roster. Cust, 32, is batting just .213 with three homers and .329 slugging percentage over 270 plate appearances this season. The Mariners recently signed Wily Mo Pena to a minor league contract, so it was only a matter of time before he got the boot.

Jack Cust went 0-for-4 and struck out twice Friday in the Mariners' loss.

This might be it for Cust. He's started just five games this month, and he's gone hitless in the last four. His average is down to .207, and while his OBP is still nice, he has a mere three homers and 23 RBI in 208 at-bats. Perhaps the Mariners could give Wily Mo Pena a try.

Jack Cust didn't start Saturday for the third time in four games.

Cust has just two hits in his past 24 plate appearances and is batting only .220/.358/.328 with two homers on the season. Cust is back in the lineup Sunday, but with the Mariners looking to give Mike Carp and Greg Halman a shot in the DH spot, look for him to spend more and more time riding the pine.

Jack Cust went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Seattle's 8-7, 10-inning win over the Twins on Monday evening.

The Mariners were trailing 7-4 after seven innings of play, but got two runs in the eighth before Carlos Peguero tied things up with an RBI single in the ninth. Luis Rodriguez would then plate the game-winning run in the top of the 10th via a sacrificeÿfly. As for Cust, the bomb was his first of the season, and batting just .230 through his first 139 at-bats, he is in danger of being designated for assignment if he doesn't soon go on a home run binge.

Jack Cust wont's start over the weekend during the interleague series with the Padres.

Cust has hit safely in 15 of his last 18 games, but the M's don't want to risk his porous defense in the outfield. "We're not going to start him here, but he'll pinch hit, and if the situation is right, he could hit for an outfielder and go into left field," manager Eric Wedge said. "In this ballpark, though, there's a lot of real estate in the outfield."

Jack Cust singled in Miguel Olivo in the bottom of the eighth to give the Mariners the lead in a 4-3 win over the Rangers on Tuesday.

A rare highlight for Cust in a Seattle uniform, but at least he seems to be on the right path now. He's actually hit in six straight games, and though he has just one hit in each, he's raised his average from .171 to .205. He's still looking for his first homer as a Mariner.

Jack Cust is batting just .200/.364/.247 over 107 plate appearances this season.

Cust has not homered and has also struck out 30 times. He's being used this year as the Mariners' primary designated hitter but is simply not getting the job done. Seattle may be worse offensively this season than they were in a wretched 2010.

Jack Cust went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the Rockies.

He also singled and walked, scoring a pair of runs. Cust is hitting just .238 this spring but has four longballs and has driven in 14. He was dealing with a minor back injury a few days ago but appears over that ailment and ready to start the season.

Jack Cust was removed from Sunday's game as a precaution because of back stiffness.

He's not expected to be down for long. Consider him day-to-day.

Mariners signed OF/DH Jack Cust to a one-year, $2.5 million conract.

Cust is expected to be the primary DH for the Mariners in 2011, though he might sit versus left-handers in favor of Milton Bradley. He doesn't hit for average and strikes out a ton, but Cust adds power and OBP to a lineup that was generally devoid of it this past season. It's a solid, low-risk move by Jack Z.

According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, the Mariners have agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Jack Cust.

Worth a shot. Cust's power has been in decline for each of the past three seasons, but he's an interesting piece for a team that was last in the majors in runs scored, home runs, on-base percentage and OPS this past season. We'd prefer him over Milton Bradley for the designated hitter spot.

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jack Cust is about to sign with the Mariners.

It's an interesting fit, because the Mariners already have Milton Bradley penciled in at designated hitter. Meanwhile, Cust is considered a tremendous liability defensively. Cust, who turns 32 in January, was recently non-tendered by the Athletics after batting .272/.395/.438 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI this past season.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mariners and Astros are among the teams "pushing" for Jack Cust.

Cust was non-tendered by the Athletics last week after batting .272/.395/.438 with 13 homers and 52 RBI over 349 at-bats this past season. He's a poor fit for a National League team like the Astros, but he could help a Mariners' offense that struggled to score runs in 2010.

Athletics non-tendered DH Jack Cust.

Cust was also non-tendered by Oakland last year and managed to re-sign. The same could happen this winter, or perhaps he will want to test the free agent market. Cust, 31, batted .272/.395/.438 with 13 homers and 52 RBI over 349 at-bats in 2010. Because of range issues, he's limited to DHing.

Jack Cust is likely to be non-tendered by the A's this week.

Cust was also non-tendered by the A's last winter and they were able to work out a deal before the start of the 2010 season that paid him a lesser salary than he would have gained via arbitration. Hungry for power, they could do the same this offseason. Cust, 31, batted .272/.395/.438 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI over 349 at-bats in 2010 for Oakland.

Athletics general manager Billy Beane said that he plans to address the team's lack of power during the offseason.

"It's an obvious area to address, and between now and the offseason, we'll have a number of conversations about how best to fill that need," said Beane. The Athletics lead the American League with a 3.55 team ERA, however they are tied with the Mariners for dead-last in the majors with 89 home runs. With Ben Sheets and Eric Chavez coming off the books, they should have the cash to upgrade.

Jack Cust slugged a pair of solo homers and walked three times in a 10-2 win over the White Sox on Saturday afternoon.

Cust went back-to-back with Kurt Suzuki in the fourth inning and added another solo blast in the eighth. He now has six home runs over his last nine games. Cust's OPS now stands an impressive 938 over 157 at-bats this season. It was at a modest 754 at the end of June. Now that he has rediscovered his power stroke, Cust is well worth owning in all AL-only and even deeper mixed leagues.

Jack Cust went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk to help the A's beat the Red Sox 6-4 on Wednesday.

Cust has four homers in seven games after hitting just two in his first 42. The sad thing is that he could still end up leading the A's in homers again this year. Kurt Suzuki is currently tops on the team with 10, followed by Kevin Kouzmanoff with nine.

Jack Cust slugged a three-run home run in a win over the Royals on Sunday.

His three-run bomb in the top of the ninth gave the A's a 9-1 lead, but it proved to be the difference in the game the Royals would score five runs in the bottom of the ninth. Cust's power has largely been absent since his promotion from Triple-A Sacramento in May, however three out of his five home runs have come in his past four games.