Note: The Mariners do indeed need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, because both Wilson and Langerhans were non-roster players. Byrnes's release clears one spot. The other move will be made Monday, and it's not expected to be a blockbuster. In fact, look for it to involve a minor-leaguer.

It's official now. As reported here earlier, the Mariners released outfielder Eric Byrnes and optioned infielder Matt Tuiasosopo to Class AAA Tacoma. Outfielder Ryan Langerhans and infielder Josh Wilson were selected from Tacoma, and both will be in uniform Tuesday when the Mariners open a series against Tampa Bay at Safeco Field.

I reached GM Jack Zduriencik, who stressed that "Tui didn't do anything wrong. But he's a young player, and playing time is essential for his development. He had two tremendous springs back to back to make the team, and he deserved to be on the team. But he needs to play. He'll go down and play every day at multiple positions. That's essential for his development as a big-league player. Again, he did nothing wrong, and he made some nice contributions while he was here.''

In the press release, Zduriencik said: "With the other two moves we've added two veteran players that can play multiple positions and have big league experience. We look forward to their contributions. Eric Byrnes is a tremendous competitor and a credit to baseball. We wish him only the best and expect him to land on his feet."

When I reached Zduriencik, he elaborated a bit.

"We all love Eric, and his energy and competitiveness, but we had an opportunity to bring up two players who have been here before. When we told him, he handled in in a tremendously professional manner. It's never easy, but he was classy. He was disappointed, but I can't say enough about how he handled it. He appreciated the opportunity to be here, and said he liked our team's chances and would be cheering for us. He said he's looking forward to what's next, which he doesn't know yet what it will be.''

Asked where he thought it went wrong for Byrnes, Zduriencik said, "My only comment is, as a human, I love the guy's passion and competitiveness and will to win. They're second to none. We just feel we're bringing in two other guys that we need.''

Wilson, 29, is leading the Rainiers in hitting, posting a .333 (27-for-81) average with 11 doubles, 1 triple and 11 RBI in 20 games played. His 11 doubles lead the PCL. Wilson was 2-for-5 in today's game versus Reno.

Langerhans, 30, appeared in one game with Seattle this season, flying out as a pinch-hitter on April 7, prior to being designated for assignment on April 8. Since joining the Rainiers, he is hitting .282 (11-for-39) with an on-base percentage of .391. He's played in 12 games with the Rainiers this season, and is hitting .333 (11-for-33) in his last 10 games after going 0-for-6 in his first two contests. Langerhans was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in today's game vs. Reno.

He appeared in 38 games for the Mariners in 2009, batting .235 (22x101) with 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 10 RBI. He hit a pair of walk-off home runs during the '09 campaign, Aug. 7 vs. Tampa Bay and Aug. 25 vs. Oakland.