Erik Swanson Bio
Erik Donald Swanson is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2019 through 2025. He suited up for the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays across his major league career, working primarily out of the bullpen. Over his MLB tenure, Swanson recorded an 11–16 win–loss record, a 3.97 earned run average, and 281 strikeouts. He announced his retirement from professional baseball on November 20, 2025.
Before reaching the majors, Swanson developed through the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees minor league systems after being selected in the 2014 MLB draft. He later became a reliable relief arm in the American League, contributing in high-leverage situations for both the Mariners and the Blue Jays.
Early Life and Background
Erik Donald Swanson was born on September 4, 1993, in Fargo, North Dakota. He lived in Fargo until he was five years old, when his family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. He also spent multiple years living in Newburgh, Indiana, before eventually returning to the Fargo area in 2015.
Swanson comes from a family with a strong athletic background. His father, Mark Swanson, played college football for the North Dakota State Bison. His grandfather, Dwaine Hoberg, is a former mayor of Moorhead, Minnesota. The family eventually settled in the Cincinnati area, where Erik attended Mariemont High School and graduated in 2012.
Path to Baseball
After high school, Swanson continued his baseball development at Wabash Valley College, where he spent one year playing at the junior college level. He then transferred to Iowa Western Community College, where he continued to hone his skills on the mound. In 2014, Swanson helped Iowa Western win the JUCO World Series, a championship that helped elevate his draft stock.
His performance at Iowa Western caught the attention of MLB scouts, and the Texas Rangers selected him in the eighth round, with the 246th overall pick, of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. That selection launched his professional career and set the stage for a long journey through the minor leagues.
Erik Swanson Career
Minor League Development (2014–2018)
Swanson made his professional debut in 2014 with the Low-A Spokane Indians, where he pitched to a 1–2 record with a 4.63 ERA and 24 strikeouts across 23 and one-third innings out of the bullpen. In 2015, he split time between the rookie-level Arizona League Rangers, Single-A Hickory Crawdads, Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, and Triple-A Round Rock Express, compiling a combined 1–0 record and 2.35 ERA in limited innings.
On August 1, 2016, the Texas Rangers traded Swanson, along with Dillon Tate and Nick Green, to the New York Yankees in exchange for Carlos Beltrán. He finished 2016 with the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs, posting a 6–5 record and 3.46 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 96 and one-third innings. In 2017, he went 7–3 with a 3.95 ERA for the High-A Tampa Yankees, and in 2018 he climbed through the Double-A Trenton Thunder, Low-A Staten Island Yankees, and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, finishing 8–2 with a 2.66 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 121 and two-thirds innings.
Seattle Mariners Era (2019–2022)
On November 19, 2018, the Yankees traded Swanson, Justus Sheffield, and Dom Thompson-Williams to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for James Paxton. The Mariners added him to their 40-man roster the next day, and he opened 2019 with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers before earning his first big-league call-up. The Mariners promoted him to the majors on April 9, 2019, and he made his MLB debut on April 11.
During his 2019 rookie campaign, Swanson appeared in 27 games, including eight starts, going 1–5 with a 5.74 ERA, 52 strikeouts, and two saves in 58 innings. The shortened 2020 season was more difficult, as he posted an 0–2 record and 12.91 ERA in limited work. He rebounded in 2021 with a 3.31 ERA across 53 and two-thirds innings, and in 2022 he enjoyed his best Mariners season, going 3–2 with a 1.68 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 53 and two-thirds innings while serving as a key late-inning reliever.
Toronto Blue Jays Era (2023–2025)
On November 16, 2022, the Seattle Mariners traded Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Teoscar Hernández. The move gave Swanson a fresh start in a new American League bullpen, and he quickly became a trusted setup man for Toronto.
In 2023, Swanson was one of the most reliable relievers in the Blue Jays bullpen, appearing in 69 games and posting a 4–2 record with a 2.97 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and four saves in 66 and two-thirds innings. The 2024 season was more uneven, as he went 2–2 with a 5.03 ERA in 45 appearances. In 2025, Swanson began the year on the injured list due to median nerve entrapment in his throwing arm, was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 5, and was activated on June 1. He struggled in six appearances before being designated for assignment on June 17 and released by Toronto after clearing waivers on June 23.
Erik Swanson Career Highlights
Across his MLB career, Erik Swanson appeared in games for the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays, compiling an 11–16 win–loss record, a 3.97 earned run average, and 281 strikeouts. His best major league season came in 2022 with Seattle, when he posted a 1.68 ERA across 53 and two-thirds innings and emerged as a high-leverage option for the Mariners bullpen.
Series Highlights
Swanson’s most productive season in the majors was 2022 with the Seattle Mariners, when he went 3–2 with a 1.68 ERA and 70 strikeouts across 57 appearances. His first major league appearance came on April 11, 2019, with the Mariners, beginning a six-year MLB career. In 2023, he recorded a career-high four saves while pitching 66 and two-thirds innings for the Toronto Blue Jays, anchoring the late innings for the team.
Erik Swanson Family
Family Background and Lineage
Erik Donald Swanson was raised in a family with deep athletic and civic roots. His father, Mark Swanson, played college football for the North Dakota State Bison, while his grandfather, Dwaine Hoberg, served as a former mayor of Moorhead, Minnesota. The family moved from Fargo to Cincinnati when Erik was young, and he grew up primarily in the Cincinnati area before returning to North Dakota later in life.
Personal Life
Swanson and his wife married in 2018 and reside in Fargo, North Dakota. The couple has two children together. In February 2024, their son Toby was struck by a car in Dunedin, Florida, and was airlifted to a children’s hospital in critical condition; he was released less than a week later. At the time of his retirement in 2025, Swanson was one of only two active MLB players born in North Dakota, alongside Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm.
2025 Season Performance
Erik Swanson’s 2025 campaign was defined almost entirely by injury. He began the season on the injured list because of median nerve entrapment in his throwing arm, which kept him out of game action for the first two months of the year. The Blue Jays transferred him to the 60-day injured list on May 5, 2025, signaling the severity of the issue.
Swanson was activated on June 1 and made his season debut soon after, but he struggled badly in his limited time on the mound. In six appearances for Toronto, he posted a 1–0 record with a 15.19 ERA and only three strikeouts across five and one-third innings. The Blue Jays designated him for assignment on June 17 and released him after he cleared waivers on June 23, ending his time with the organization.
After his release, Swanson did not sign with another club, and on November 20, 2025, he announced his retirement from professional baseball. His 2025 season served as a difficult final chapter in a career that had produced several strong relief seasons, particularly his standout 1.68 ERA year with Seattle in 2022.