Mariners facing prospect of beginning season without Bryce Miller

Bryce Miller has suffered a setback in his recovery from an oblique issue at a critical point, with opening day looming for the Mariners.

Two seasons ago one of the big contributions towards the Seattle Mariners having the best statistical rotation in baseball, was having the regular starters miss just a combined 13 games. Last year however, while the rotation was still strong overall, there was a drop in their productivity as the number jumped from 13 to 34 missed games.

Clearly the Mariners are hoping the rotation will be closer to their 2024 form when it comes to durability this coming season, but are already dealing with a growing concern. Bryce Miller has been dealing with left side oblique inflammation since Feb. 26 in the 8-7 win against the Cleveland Guardians, and on Wednesday morning he suffered a setback in his recovery.

Miller had to cut short his first full bullpen session off the mound since the Guardians game, due to feeling some discomfort in his left side. It was his decision not to continue, after being advised not to risk pushing through if he felt anything at all.

The Mariners had been confident that Miller would be ready to pitch again during spring training, in order to get him ready to be the fifth starter when the 2026 regular season begins. Now though, this scenario is looking more unlikely after his setback.

Justin Hollander admits Bryce Miller is behind schedule

While not outright ruling Miller as unavailable for the opening day roster, Mariners general manager did admit he is now behind in his rehab and the reality is that it does now seem doubtful. Speaking to the media, including Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Hollander said:

“It’s the type of injury where it seems wise not to push him too fast. Obviously, we won’t make any decisions until we need to.”

Hollander was philosophical about the setback and praised Miller for how he dealt with the situation once he felt the discomfort in his left side. As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, he said:

“This is just part of that process. … Some days, you feel a little tightness, and we back it down. Sometimes, you feel great, and you feel like you’re ready to take the next step. He wasn’t ready to take the next step today and smartly said, ‘I’m not ready to take the next step today,’ so we’ll try again in a couple days.”

It should be noted that the Mariners will not completely shut Miller down from throwing, and he will be given the okay to play catch sometime in the next few days. At the earliest though, it will be at least a week before he is in position to once again try a full bullpen session.

Mariners preparing for other rotation options

As we’ve mentioned previously, it’s tough not to feel some sympathy for Miller, who had to deal with elbow issues throughout last season and had two stints on the injured list. In all he was limited to 18 regular season starts and suffered through a career-worst year which included a -0.8 bWAR, 5.68 ERA, 5.17 FIP and 1.406 WHIP.

This was a stunning dip from a year earlier, when Miller had a 2.94 ERA and 0.976 WHIP, while leading the best rotation in baseball with a team-high 3.4 bWAR. And he proved that same level was still within him during last season’s playoffs, highlighted by his pitching masterclass in Game 1 of the ALCS versus the Toronto Blue Jays, when he allowed two hits, three walks and one earned run in 6.0 innings of a 3-1 win.

While Miller recovers, the Mariners will consider Cooper Criswell or Emerson Hancock to fill in for him, with Dane Dunning also capable of stepping up if required. They’re already without Logan Evans for the year, so if the rotation suffers similar issues to last season, it’s entirely conceivable that Kade Anderson and possibly Ryan Sloan could get their Major League debuts ahead of schedule in 2026.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

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