Top Seattle Mariners Reliever Gets Awesome Injury Update This Week
The Seattle Mariners got excellent news on relief pitcher Matt Brash this week, who is out for the entire season because of internal brace surgery.
Per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Brash has been cleared to start a throwing program next week in Arizona. He is currently with the team in Seattle as part of its nine-game homestand.
Matt Brash (UCL tear) said he’s been cleared to start a throwing program next week in Arizona.
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) August 6, 2024
Not having Brash has had a big impact on the Mariners bullpen this year, as it's seemingly been held together with duct tape at times. One of the best relievers in all of baseball, the 26-year-old Canadian appeared in a league-high 78 games in 2023, going 9-4 with a 3.06 ERA. Armed with 100+ MPH velocity and a wipeout slider, he struck out 107 batters in just 70.2 innings last season.
Without him, the Mariners have relied even more on closer Andres Munoz, who made the All-Star team this season. Gregory Santos, who was supposed to pair with Munoz and Brash in the back-end of the bullpen this year, has also been hurt most of the campaign.
Though Brash was injured in spring training, he didn't officially shut his season down and get surgery until early May. Because of that, he'll likely be out into next season as well. For comparison, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen had internal brace surgery last July and is just coming back this week, about 13 months later. If the same holds true for Brash, the M's could have him back by June of 2025.
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