Seattle Mariners' George Kirby Takes First Positive Step in Injury Recovery

While playing catch with a trainer may not seen like a big step, this is significant considering Kirby had yet to throw since being shut down. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times said he threw from 60 feet and will throw again on Saturday.

The Mariners will be utilizing Emerson Hancock in Kirby's place, and he's slated to start the fifth game of the season, which will be March 31 against the Detroit Tigers. Kirby has said he hopes to only miss a few starts in April.

An All-Star in 2023, Kirby is 35-26 lifetime with a 3.43 ERA. He went 14-11 a season ago, but features some of the best stuff in baseball. With an upper-90s fastball, a splitter, and a slider, Kirby also has the best control of any starter in the sport.

He's a former first-round pick (2019) of the Mariners out of Elon.

The Mariners are coming off a season in which they finished 85-77 and missed the playoffs by one game. However, under new manager Dan Wilson there is some more optimism heading into 2025.

In addition to having Wilson for a full year at the helm, the Mariners also went out and added infielder Donovan Solano this offseason. They also re-signed infielder Jorge Polanco to a one-year deal, and he will play third base.

The M's will open the season on Thursday, March 27 with a four-game series against the Athletics at T-Mobile Park. We know that Logan Gilbert will pitch Game 1, with Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo to follow.