Seattle Mariners starter Logan Evans (73) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at T-Mobile Park on May 27. Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Brady's Spin: Demoting Logan Evans Might Be Unfair, But It's Totally Understandable

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 29, 2025 2:30 PM ET

On Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners surprised some fans by sending youngster Logan Evans down to Triple-A Tacoma.

Evans, 23, has made six starts for Seattle, going 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA. He just threw an eight-inning gem on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals.

His demotion is not a demotion because of performance, it's a demotion because of roster constraints. Bryce Miller is coming back from the injured list soon, maybe even as soon as Friday. Someone was always going to go down as the rotation got healthier, and it makes sense for it to be Evans.

As noted by insider Luke Arkins, Evans has never thrown more than 107 IP in his collegiate or professional life. He's already at 60.2 IP right now. It makes sense to pull back the reigns in the minor leagues and skip some starts or work in some short starts to try to keep him healthy moving forward.

Based on career workload (pro & college) Emerson Hancock staying up and Logan Evans to Tacoma makes sense to me. Hancock is more built up than Evans.

It’ll be interesting to see how the #Mariners utilize Evans for the rest of the season.

At least I think it’ll be interesting. pic.twitter.com/VyY9lpgYK2
— Luke Arkins (@luke_arkins) May 28, 2025

Emerson Hancock, on the other hand, has reached the 154-inning plateau in his professional career. He's much more built up for a longer runway in the big leagues, and even he will likely go down once Logan Gilbert is healthy in a few weeks (he's making his first rehab start on Thursday at Triple-A).

So, look, it might be "unfair" that Evans gets the axe after a solid start, but it's not at all surprising. For an organization that is known to be conservative with their pitchers health, it makes all the sense in the world.

The Mariners will play the Nationals on Thursday at 6:40 p.m. PT.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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