M's call up Clement and Balentien

The Mariners called up catcher Jeff Clement and outfielder Wladimir Balentien from Tacoma today.

To make room on the 25-man Major-League roster, Seattle designated infielder Greg Norton and outfielder Brad Wilkerson for assignment.

Balentien, who wears No. 50, and Clement, No. 9, will be in uniform and available for tonight's game at Cleveland.

Seattle now has 10 days to trade, release, option or assign Norton and Wilkerson outright to the minors.

Balentien, 23, was hitting .254 with 5 doubles, 6 homers and 20 RBI in 17 games with Class AAA Tacoma this season. On Monday night, he hit three home runs, including an inside-the-park homer, versus New Orleans. It was his second game back in the lineup after missing eight games with a bruised left knee.

Balentien made his ML debut last season with the Mariners, joining the club on Sept 4. In 3 games, he hit .667 with a double and a HR. His first ML homer came on Sept. 26 off of Cleveland's Fausto Carmona. He was the PCL Rookie of the Year in 2007 after hitting .291 with 24 doubles, 4 triples, 24 home runs and 84 RBI in 124 games with Tacoma.

Clement, 24, was hitting .397 with 8 doubles, 5 homers and 20 RBI in 23 games with Tacoma this season. He walked 22 times, while striking out just 12 times. Clement made his ML debut last season with the Mariners, joining the club on Sept 4. In 9 games, he hit .375 with a double and 2 home runs. His first major-league homer was a game-tying pinch-hit blast in the 9th, Sept. 26 vs. Cleveland. His second homer was Sept. 28, a two-run walk-off shot vs. Texas.

Clement hit .275 with 35 doubles, 3 triples, 20 homers and 80 RBI in 125 games with Tacoma last season.

Norton, 35, was signed by Seattle as a minor league free agent on Feb. 13, 2008. He hit in 6 games with Seattle this year. Norton began this season with Tacoma where he was hitting .409 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI in 7 games with the Rainiers. He's a career .253 hitter with 114 doubles, 82 HR and 300 RBI in 12 seasons (901 Major League games) with the White Sox (1996-2000), Colorado (2001-2003), Detroit (2004), Tampa Bay (2006-2007) & Seattle (2008).

Wilkerson, 30, was signed by Seattle as a free agent on Jan. 31, 2008. He hit .232 in 19 games with Seattle this year. He's a career .249 hitter with 185 doubles, 118 HR and 376 RBI in 8 seasons (887 Major League games) with Montreal/Washington (2001-05), Texas (2006-2007) and Seattle (2008).