Mariners seemingly avoid disaster with Logan Gilbert injury

Logan Gilbert is headed to the IL for the first time in his Major League career, but it could have been so much worse for the Mariners.

Logan Gilbert was the Seattle Mariners’ best starter last season overall, which is saying something given just how well the rotation pitched as a collective. Through the beginning of this year he appeared to be even better, with him on course for a whole host of career-bests.

This form continued through 3.0 innings on Friday night against the Miami Marlins, with Gilbert allowing no hits, walks or runs, while also striking out three. Then disaster struck, as he was forced to abruptly leave the game with forearm tightness.

The Mariners have already had to contend with more than their fair share of injury issues in 2025, highlighted by losing Ryan Bliss for the year and Victor Robles for at least three months. As a result, there was plenty of understandable angst regarding the potential long-term loss of their staff ace.

Some relief with Logan Gilbert

More clarity came on Saturday, with the news that Gilbert was being placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow flexor strain, classified as Grade 1, i.e. mild. The initial prognosis is that he has avoided a serious injury, but he will be shut down from throwing for two weeks after which he will be reevaluated.

For his part, the righty is remaining positive that his absence will just be short-term. As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, he said:

“Just confirmation. 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.”

Gilbert has been one of the most durable pitchers in the Majors over the past few years, with at least 32 starts in three consecutive seasons and leading the league with a career-high 208.2 innings in 2024. This is the first time he has spent any time on the injured list since making his Major League debut in 2021.

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Other roster moves by the Mariners

Along with placing the 2024 All-Star on IL, the Mariners designated right-hander Casey Lawrence for assignment. They additionally recalled righty Troy Taylor and southpaw Tayler Saucedo from Triple-A, with one more intriguing move to be facilitated.

Initially at least in Gilbert’s absence the Mariners will place Logan Evans in the rotation, and he will make his Major League debut on Sunday in the rubber match versus the Marlins. Evans was selected in the 12th round of the 2023 draft, but has since seen a stunning rise through the farm system.

MLB pipeline has the righty ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the Mariners’ organization, with him offering a variety of quality pitches as opposed to having one standout offering. In five Triple-A starts to begin this season he has recorded a 3.86 ERA, 2.90 FIP and 1.247 WHIP in 25.2 combined innings.

As a couple of final notes on the pitching front, Justin Hollander provided injury updates on Friday regarding George Kirby and Matt Brash. Kirby is set to take live batting practice sometime this coming week with an expected return to the rotation in May, while reliever Matt Brash has been on a rehab assignment and should be back by early May at the latest.

Does Gilbert’s injury impact your confidence in the Mariners’ ability to keep winning consistently? Or are you optimistic that the team will be just fine, especially with Kirby’s imminent return? Let us know in the comments section below.