SEATTLE -- Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert is headed to the 15-day injured list, one day after he abruptly exited his start on Friday night at T-Mobile Park. But the 2024 All-Star appears to have avoided something far more severe, at least via the initial prognosis released by the club on Saturday.
Gilbert underwent an MRI on Saturday morning away from the ballpark, which revealed a mild flexor strain in his pitching elbow, classified as Grade 1. He¡¯ll be shut down from throwing for two weeks then re-examined to determine next steps in his rehab.
The injury was designated as a right elbow flexor strain on the transactional release published by the club.
¡°Just confirmation,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°Like, I would have been really surprised if it was something really bad, but you never really know, and especially when it just never quite got back right. But even today, like, I feel better today already than I did yesterday. So we probably don't want to rush anything. We'll see, but optimistic.¡±
As for Gilbert¡¯s spot in the rotation, Logan Evans -- ranked the club¡¯s No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline -- will be inserted to start Sunday¡¯s series finale vs. Miami and will make his MLB debut. Evans was Seattle¡¯s 12th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and has been one of its fastest risers among the next wave of pitching talent.
The Mariners also made a few additional roster moves to account for Gilbert and their bullpen, after Casey Lawrence was called upon to pitch five unexpected innings in relief of Gilbert in an 8-4 loss to the Marlins:
? RHP Logan Gilbert placed on 15-day IL
? RHP Casey Lawrence designated for assignment
? LHP Tayler Saucedo recalled from Triple-A Tacoma
? RHP Troy Taylor recalled from Tacoma
And they¡¯ll have to make one more on Sunday for Evans, who is on the taxi squad.
This is the first stint on the IL for Gilbert, who has blossomed into one of MLB¡¯s most durable pitchers.
¡°I always want to feel useful, and you can quickly start to feel useless when it's like, I have a job to do here, to help the team, and when I'm not able to do that, it's hard,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°But there's so much more to it. The team is rolling, and we've got a lot of momentum. I'll be back soon.
¡°Everybody goes through stuff like this. So I feel like I can still play a role and help the team however I can. But mentally you always want to contribute. So that's probably the hardest part.¡±
Gilbert has made every scheduled start since his big league debut on May 13, 2021, while racking up 734 2/3 innings over 127 outings since -- seventh most in the sport. In this stretch, he¡¯s been worth 13.4 Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs (eighth-best), with a 3.55 ERA (ninth-best).
He led all pitchers last year with 208 2/3 innings, when he earned his first All-Star selection. The totality of his production led to him earning his first career Opening Day start within a Mariners rotation that was among the league¡¯s best last year.
A huge part of his durability is rooted in his meticulous arm-care routine, which made the injury that much more frustrating.
¡°There's only so much you can do,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°I feel like I do what I can, but pitching is just so unknown. Like, everybody goes through stuff at some point, and for a lot of people, unfortunately, really serious stuff. So I'm at least thankful for that. It could be worse.¡±
So far this season, Gilbert has a 2.37 ERA (150 ERA+, where league average is 100) and leads all qualified starters with a 37.6% strikeout rate. The Mariners had gone 4-1 in his first five starts but lost the one on Friday after he departed.
Gilbert is the second All-Star within Seattle¡¯s rotation who is already on the IL, as George Kirby remains sidelined with right shoulder inflammation that forced him to be shut down on March 7. Kirby rejoined the team this weekend for the first time since the end of Spring Training, as he¡¯d remained in Arizona since then while rehabbing.
The right-hander could throw live batting practice as soon as Monday¡¯s off-day, which would be the first time he¡¯ll face hitters since the injury. But because building arm strength and volume and a Minor League rehab assignment are still on the horizon within his recovery, he¡¯s still probably at least a few weeks away, barring setbacks.