Seattle Mariners Rookie Pitcher Emerson Hancock Heads to Injured List After Early Exit

Emerson Hancock left the Seattle Mariners' game against the Houston Astros on Sunday due to a shoulder injury, but JP Crawford is rejoining the lineup.

The Seattle Mariners have placed right-handed pitcher Emerson Hancock on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain, the team announced Monday.

In a run of related moves, the Mariners activated shortstop JP Crawford from the 7-day injured list and recalled right-handed pitcher Darren McCaughan from Triple-A Tacoma. Utility man Sam Haggerty got optioned to Triple-A to make room for the new additions to the active roster.

Hancock left his start against the Houston Astros early on Sunday, having tossed 2.0 scoreless innings to that point. Mariners manager Scott Servais said in a postgame interview that the rookie felt his lat pull, leading to the early exit.

The Mariners, who were up 6-0 when Hancock left, managed to hold on to complete their sweep of the Astros with a 7-6 victory.

Mariners roster moves:

🔹 J.P. Crawford, INF, reinstated from 7-day IL.
🔹 Darren McCaughan, RHP, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) August 21, 2023

Seattle called Hancock up on Aug. 8, sending fellow rookie pitcher Bryan Woo to the injured list that same day. While Woo is on the verge of returning, Hancock will hit the shelf just three starts into his major league career.

Across 12.0 innings of MLB action, Hancock boasts a 4.50 ERA and 1.333 WHIP. Seattle won all three of the games the righty appeared in.

Hancock made the leap to the big leagues straight from Double-A, where he had spent the past two seasons. In 44 career minor league starts, the right-hander was 21-10 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.183 WHIP.

The 24-year-old was ranked as the Mariners' No. 1 pitcher and No. 4 overall prospect when he got called up, and he ranked inside MLB.com's Top 100 for the past two years.

Seattle owns sole possession of the third AL Wild Card spot at the moment, but the Toronto Blue Jays only trail by 0.5 games with over a month left in the season.

Without Hancock, the Mariners will likely have to abandon the six-man rotation they planned to implement upon Woo's return. Hancock will be eligible to return on Sept. 5, though, meaning he could still contribute to Seattle's playoff push if he is able to recovery quickly.

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