The Seattle Mariners are on the verge of getting a key arm from their rotation back.
Logan Gilbert will throw a pen on Friday afternoon, and if all goes well, he will be returning to the big league club in the coming days.
Via Daniel Kramer:
“Logan Gilbert will throw a bullpen session here at T-Mobile Park this afternoon — and if he comes out of that feeling good, the Mariners anticipate that his next start would be in the big leagues, Justin Hollander just said.”
This is huge news for the Mariners, who have been plagued by injuries all year long. Their pitching staff, in particular, has dealt with a lot of health issues. Gilbert hasn’t pitched in the Majors since April 25 when he sustained an elbow injury. He’s been sidelined ever since.
The right-hander has made three rehab starts in the Minors, however, and all went well. He tossed six scoreless in Triple-A Tacoma earlier this week. He threw 72 pitches, and 43 found the strike zone. Gilbert also struck out six.
When he was healthy, Gilbert was solid. He went 1-1 in six outings pre-injury, compiling a 2.37 ERA in 30.1 innings. The 28-year-old collected 44 punchouts while issuing just six free passes. The Mariners need that same version of Gilbert when he is back.
Seattle’s staff as a whole has struggled this year, posting a 4.06 ERA. That ranks 20th in the show. Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo have both shown well, but the likes of Emerson Hancock and Bryce Miller have pitched poorly. Miller is now out for 4-6 weeks with an elbow injury of his own. George Kirby isn’t shining since returning from injury, either.
There is a strong possibility that the Mariners go out and trade for an established starter at the deadline to help them make a playoff push. After all, the American League West is wide open.
The M’s begin a three-game set with the Cleveland Guardians on Friday evening.
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