Kirby set to throw live BP, but Hancock ready to hold rotation spot

TORONTO -- The first text message from Pete Woodworth upon clearing customs in Canada this week was to George Kirby.

The Mariners’ pitching coach, like anyone still with the organization since 2022, indulges in nostalgia every time the club plays at Rogers Centre, following their epic comeback in that year’s American League Wild Card Series. And Kirby was a huge part of it, earning his first and only career save by closing out the clincher in Game 2.

“Any time I come here, I just re-live him coming out of the bullpen in the ninth inning and blowing the doors off for that Wild Card win,” Woodworth said. “So I got a little sentimental on him.”

Kirby has been away from the Mariners for nearly a month as he continues to rehab the right shoulder inflammation that he was initially shut down with in early March, with a timeline that’s been -- expectedly -- prolonged, given the nature of the ailment and the caution that the club is exercising with the 2023 All-Star.

However, Kirby is expected to reach another big benchmark in his recovery this week -- he’s scheduled to face hitters for the first time in a live batting practice, which will take place at T-Mobile Park, according to a source. The plan is written in pencil, though, as Kirby still must check a few boxes beforehand.

Kirby has thrown multiple bullpen sessions at the club’s Spring Training facility in Arizona, where he’s remained since the team broke camp.

“It's going to take some time, but he’ll be back and it’ll be like acquiring an All-Star,” Woodworth said.

This all falls into the progression that Mariners general manager Justin Hollander outlined in his most recent team-wide injury update, which he typically shares at the outset of each homestand. There will likely be more development once the club returns to Seattle this weekend after a three-game series in Boston.

When Kirby began his throwing program on March 21, he was hopeful for late April, though he was speaking as an extreme competitor. Hollander called those ambitions two weeks ago “optimistic.” Then, Woodworth suggested on Sunday that “May or June” is more likely, but added, “I hate putting that date on it, because then you get disappointed when that date comes and he's not here.”

Until then, the Mariners believe they’ve found more stability with Kirby’s rotation spot, at least given that Emerson Hancock rebounded nicely in his return to that role after a two-week stint with Triple-A Tacoma.

Hancock surrendered a two-run homer in the first inning on Thursday in Cincinnati, but he zeroed in after to go scoreless the rest of the way while clearing five frames and two times through the Reds’ lineup. It was exactly what the Mariners were hoping for after Hancock failed to make it out of the first inning in his previous start, on March 31 vs. the Tigers, which led to him being optioned the following day.

“It was just a really good bounce-back for him,” Woodworth said. “The Detroit start was tough because he threw the ball well and they hit -- the first three guys hit, and then they got really lucky, and unfortunately, it happened very quick, and he threw a bunch of pitches, so we had to move on. And then we had to make a [roster] move to provide coverage for the next series.

“So it wasn't like a demotion. It was just a really unlucky day for him. But the stuff and everything that was coming out of his hand was great, and he kind of just went down to Tacoma and continued that in Cincinnati.”

Hancock’s next test on Wednesday will be a tall one at hitter-friendly Fenway Park, where the Red Sox have the 11th-highest home OPS (.776). It would’ve been on Friday back in Seattle vs. the Marlins, but the Mariners opted to insert him a day early, in Cincinnati, in order to push back Bryan Woo, whom the club hopes to keep on a six-day routine as much as possible.

Hancock’s added velocity so far this season could help him in this outing especially, as Boston’s .184 batting average against anything 95 mph or harder ranks third worst. The right-hander has averaged 94.9 mph on both heaters this year, a notable uptick from 93.3 mph last season.

“He's a different animal when he's 94-plus,” Woodworth said. “The sinker/changeup combo is plus, but swing decisions just get tougher and tougher when the velo climbs.”

This week has the potential to be a big one, for both the long-term incumbent in that rotation spot -- but also his fill-in.