Seattle Mariners Continue to Get Positive Injury News on Reliever Matt Brash
The Seattle Mariners went 85-77 this past season, missing the playoffs by a painful one game for the second consecutive year. While the offense gets most of the blame for the team's struggles, the bullpen was also a problem spot at times.
The M's dealt with several injuries in the bullpen, including losing key reliever Matt Brash for the entire season to Tommy John surgery. Furthermore, they lost Gregory Santos for most of the season. Beyond that, Ryne Stanek, Austin Voth and Trent Thornton each had their own struggles (with success mixed in as well), as the M's failed to hold leads late or keep a tepid offense in games.
As the team turns the page to 2025, there's hope that closer Andres Munoz will remain dominant and that youngster Troy Taylor will keep up the momentum that he brought to the table over the final two months of the season. Collin Snider emerged as a weapon that should help yet again, and Santos should be healthy.
But the biggest key (and biggest wild card) will be the return of Brash. Originally expected to return in June or July of next, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times now reports that the organization is optimistic he may be able to return by late April.
Brash, working out at the team’s facility in Arizona this fall, is ahead of schedule in his recovery from elbow surgery, and the Mariners are optimistic he could return to the bullpen by the end of April.
A look at where things stand with the Mariners bullpen this offseason, with an encouraging update on Matt Brash … and a new development for young lefty Brandyn Garcia:https://t.co/IcBdVCllfx
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) November 27, 2024
Though he'll have to be eased into a workload, and will be carefully monitored, his presence alone should help provide the M's with more stability.
The 26-year-old Brash is one of the nastiest pitchers in all of baseball, complete with a triple-digit fastball and a wicked slider. He went 9-4 in 2023 for Seattle with a 3.06 ERA and led baseball in appearances with 78. He made his major league debut in 2022 and made five starts before heading to Triple-A and resurfacing as a dynamite reliever.
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