Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) reacts after giving up an RBI single to Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre in April 2025. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Logan Gilbert Offers Subtle, Yet Important Information with Regards to His Injury Comeback

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 26, 2025 1:45 PM ET

On Friday afternoon, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert took a major step in his rehab from a Grade 1 flexor strain by throwing two simulated innings at Daikin Park in Houston.

According to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Gilbert said he felt good, and that was evidenced by his 95 mph fastball. However, the 2024 All-Star also said something enlightening that M's fans should be wary of with regards to his splitter usage.

“Because some people say it can add more stress, I'm just trying to be as careful as I can,” said Gilbert, who threw a few splitters on Friday. “I don't really know, because it's a balance. Like, I don't want to get away from it and then just throw it in-game to batters. But I also don't want to overdo it. So it's probably like a workload thing throughout the week. But again, it's tricky because you need to be careful with that pitch probably. But it's not like the one pitch I felt stressed with compared to other pitches.”

Bryce Miller believes he and the Mariners have uncovered the root cause of his issue and how to alleviate it long-term.

"There's something in there that causes inflammation and something I can't just take out without missing the rest of the year."https://t.co/eHtYryuHNt
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) May 24, 2025

So, if you remember back to a recent episode of the Refuse to Lose podcast, we raised this same point. Gilbert is currently throwing his splitter at 21 percent of the time, and given the stress that pitch causes on your forearm, will he have to change his usage? Will he throw it less? Will he only bring it out in certain situations? And if he does throw it less, how does that impact his overall ability? Does he cease to be Logan Gilbert if he doesn't have all his weapons?

We spoke with Buster Olney of ESPN on that recent episode, which came out May 16:

So, I think your question is wholly appropriate. And, you know, if I was a beat writer covering the Mariners, that would be one of the things that I'd be asking myself...charting the pitches that he's throwing during the game and seeing 'is he throwing his splitter? Is it a lower percentage? Is he saving it for particular situations?' Because those choices are made. I've seen pitchers who are coming back from an elbow issue., who would stay away from the slider, which historically is a pitch that puts strain on an elbow, can cause a physical problem. So I'm going to be really curious to see exactly what his pitch mix is when he comes back.

Gilbert has indicated that he will likely need multiple rehab starts, and if all continues to check out, he's likely to return in early to mid-June.

The Mariners are back in action on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. PT against the Washington Nationals.

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

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