Mariners share encouraging update on injured reliever Matt Brash

The Mariners missed Matt Brash for the entire 2024 regular season, but one of their social media posts offers some reason for optimism.

All things considered, the Seattle Mariners bullpen was pretty effective this past season, ranking ninth in the Majors with a 3.71 ERA. They also ranked fourth with a 1.17 WHIP and second-best with a .215 batting average.

The reason we say all things considered, is because injuries impacted the bullpen, including last offseason’s acquisition Gregory Santos being limited to just eight appearances during the 2024 campaign. Even more significant, was the absence of Matt Brash.

Brash was forced to miss all of this past season, after undergoing Tommy John surgery. At the time, it was reported that the pitcher was targeting a return of June next year to be back with the Mariners’ roster.

Back on the mound and throwing

In this respect, there was what could be perceived as an encouraging update regarding the 26-year-old at the weekend. And it came courtesy of the Mariners themselves on social media, along with the quote that he is ‘Back on the mound and putting in the work’.

The only issue with this is that while it is extremely encouraging that Brash is back on the mound, the social media post is lacking some context. For example, is he ahead of schedule in his rehab, or just on target to still return back around June next year?

In all likelihood, we probably won’t have much more of an idea until closer to when pitchers and catchers report in Peoria, Arizona around mid-February. The Mariners’ first spring training game takes place on Feb. 21, against the San Diego Padres.

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One of the best pitchers on the team

Whenever Brash does return, he should provide an immediate boost to the Mariners’ bullpen. His slider is widely regarded as arguably the best pitch on the staff.

The 2019 fourth round draft pick was tremendous during 2023, in his second year in the Majors with the Mariners. He led all Major League relievers with 78 appearances, while producing a 3.06 ERA, 2.26 FIP and 107 strikeouts in 70.2 combined innings.

To be clear though, Brash also has areas of his game he still needs to work on. This includes bringing down a WHIP which was recorded at 1.330 during the 2023 season, albeit this also represented an improvement on the 1.559 WHIP he produced in his rookie year.

Pending when Brash does actually return, what kind of success are you predicting for the Mariners bullpen next year? Do you expect similar production compared to this season, some improvement, or a regression? Let us know in the comments section below.