The slumping Seattle Mariners are firing manager Scott Servais following a disastrous 1-8 road trip that has seen the club fall back in the American League West race, The Athletic reported on Thursday.

According to the report, former Mariners' catcher Dan Wilson will take over the team for the remainder of the season, with an official announcement to come later on Thursday.

Servais was in his ninth season with Seattle and led the Mariners to their first postseason appearance in 21 years in 2022, but the team has been mired in an extended slump as its once-sizeable lead atop the AL West has evaporated over the last two months.

The Mariners owned a 10-game advantage atop the division on June 18 but have gone 20-33 since, and now trail the resurgent Houston Astros by five games for first place.

Sources: Mariners expected to fire Scott Servais, name Dan Wilson manager. https://t.co/BDgsCPVpuc

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 22, 2024

A lack of offence has been the root cause of Seattle's downfall. The Mariners rank 27th in Major League Baseball in runs scored, last in batting average (.216) and 29th out of 30 teams in slugging percentage (.365).

Servais compiled a 680-642 record since taking over the Mariners in 2016, including a 64-64 mark this season, and ended the franchise's lengthy postseason drought by guiding the 2022 team to a 90-72 record and an AL wild-card berth. Seattle then swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-three Wild Card Round before being swept by the eventual World Series champion Astros in the AL Division Series. 

The Mariners fell one game short of a playoff spot after going 88-74 last season, however, and this year's team has gone 12-21 since July 12 to seal Servais' fate. 

Seattle will now attempt to salvage their season under Wilson, a popular former player with no managerial or coaching experience at the major league level. The 55-year-old had been serving as a special assignment coordinator with the Mariners after previously working as the organisation's minor league catching coordinator.

Wilson played 12 seasons for the Mariners from 1994-2005 and was named an All-Star in 1996. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2012.