BALTIMORE -- When the Mariners look at which relievers they unearthed this season who could help headline the bullpen going forward, Austin Adams¡¯ name leaps to mind. But the promising 28-year-old right-hander¡¯s future was put on hold Sunday after learning he¡¯ll need surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee and will be sidelined the next 6-8 months.

Adams twisted the knee as he planted to avoid a near-collision at first base with the Orioles¡¯ Hanser Alberto in the seventh inning of Saturday¡¯s 7-6, 13-inning victory. An MRI exam on Sunday revealed the tear.

¡°Initially, I thought I hyperextended it,¡± Adams said Sunday following the Mariners' 2-1 loss to the Orioles. ¡°Then I came in here and watched the video and kind of saw the way the knee moved and thought, ¡®That¡¯s not a hyperextension.¡¯ I was trying to stay as optimistic as possible and not think negative thoughts, but it is what it is. It¡¯s not a surgery that no one has ever had before. There¡¯s been success with it. I¡¯m just going to stay positive and dominate the rehab.¡±

Adams will head to his offseason home in Tampa, Fla., spend the winter there, then join the Mariners in Arizona for Spring Training. But he¡¯s likely looking at June or July of next season before being ready to compete, which means missing likely the first half of the season.

¡°It¡¯ll be a significant recovery,¡± Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ¡°He¡¯s pretty shook about it, as anybody would be. He really did nice things for us, and he will be back. He¡¯ll fight through it and go through the surgery and rehab, and we¡¯ll get him back. But I feel bad for him. He did a lot of good things for himself and for us this year.¡±

Adams is Example A of a player who grabbed hold of the opportunity the Mariners provided to numerous contenders in their bullpen churn this season. Since being acquired from the Nationals in May, he¡¯s struck out 51 batters in 31 innings, a 14.9 strikeout per nine innings ratio that ranks third in club history for a reliever with at least 100 batters faced in a year.

The only reliever with a higher strikeout rate has been Edwin D¨ªaz at 15.33 per nine innings in 2016 and 15.22 in '18.

Adams posted a 3.77 ERA in his 29 outings for Seattle, a number that was inflated by a couple rough appearances before he went on the injured list in July with a right shoulder issue that led to a seven-week shutdown.

¡°When he¡¯s been healthy, the strikeout numbers speak for themselves,¡± Servais said. ¡°He¡¯s got a special pitch. That slider is really a wipeout. He¡¯s got the demeanor you like out of a reliever, no situation is really too big for him. He likes being out there. I like bringing him in with traffic. He¡¯s got a chance to strike anybody in the league out. He¡¯s had a nice year."

Adams was designated for assignment by the Nationals before being traded to Seattle for Minor League pitcher Nick Wells and cash in one of general manager Jerry Dipoto¡¯s numerous bullpen acquisitions.

So despite the difficult ending, Adams views this season as a breakthrough in his career after finally getting an opportunity to show what he could do in the Major Leagues. The Florida native has always had a big-time slider, but a high walk rate had limited his advancement until now.

¡°It¡¯s meant a lot, just showing myself that I can compete at this level,¡± Adams said. ¡°Even when I do struggle, [I am] throwing strikes and competing with the best in the world. Getting DFA¡¯d is a really weird situation -- being told you¡¯re not good enough to play any more by an organization and then going out and pitching pretty well. So it definitely helped my confidence, which is the biggest thing.¡±