On April 5, 1979, he was released by the Angels and on June 5, 1979, he was signed by the Mariners.

Stroughter spent over a decade in the minors before making his big league debut on April 7, at the age of 30.

Pinch-hitting for Jim Essian, Stroughter grounded out in his first big league at-bat, which was against Doug Corbett of the Minnesota Twins.

He played his final big league game on July 24, 1982.

Following his big league career, he returned to the minors and also played baseball in Japan, appearing in 28 games for the Hanshin Tigers in 1983.