Seattle Mariners Key Bullpen Piece Set For Big Step in Injury Recovery
The Seattle Mariners have gotten good news on left-handed reliever Gabe Speier heading into Thursday's series opener with the Los Angeles Angels.
The 29-year-old, who has been out for more than a month with a rotator cuff strain, is making his first rehab appearance on Friday night as he moves closer to joining the bullpen again.
The following comes from MLB.com:
Next up is a Minors rehab outing on July 12 for Triple-A Tacoma in Albuquerque, then another on July 15 in the Arizona Complex League. If that goes well, Speier could be activated out of the All-Star break for Seattle's big series against Houston, where the team could certainly use him against the Astros' lefty sluggers
Speier threw live batting practice during the M's most recent road swing in San Diego. Getting him back for that Houston series would be huge since the Astros feature All-Star lefties Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker in the lineup. Currently, the M's are just operating with Tayler Saucedo as a lefty in the 'pen.
Speier was excellent for the Mariners in 2023 but has struggled in 2024, so the team will hope he's fully healthy and ready to get back to his old form. This year, he's 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA. He's walked 10 batters in just 16.1 innings.
A season ago, he went 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA and was one of the most dependable relievers for the Mariners. Once he comes back, he will pair with Gregory Santos, Andres Munoz, Austin Voth, Trent Thornton and Ryne Stanek to make the 'pen even more dynamic.
The Mariners play the Angels on Thursday at 6:38 p.m. PT.
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