Seattle Mariners Activate High-Leverage Reliever Matt Brash Off Injured List

Brash was one of the Mariners' most dependable and effective relievers in 2023. In a team-leading 78 appearances, he had a 3.06 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched.

Brash has had six outings on a rehab assignment with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. He had an 8.44 ERA with five strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched. He allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits (one home run) and walked two batters.

Brash's original recovery timeline post-Tommy John surgery had him returning somewhere around the All-Star break, but he's been well ahead of schedule. He had several live bullpen sessions during spring training where he had full spin rate on his secondary pitches and had full velocity back on his fastball. He pitched 0.2 innings in the Mariners Cactus League finale against the San Diego Padres on March 24.

Seattle's bullpen has been one of most highly-used units in baseball this season. Entering Saturday, the Mariners' relievers were sixth in the majors and second in the American League in innings pitched (122). The team has led the league in that statistic at various points in the year.

Brash won't immediately pitch in high-leverage situations again. But if works his way back to the form he had in 2023, then the back-end of the bullpen can be extremely dangerous with Brash, Carlos Vargas, Gabe Speier and Andres Munoz.