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SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners have had notable injuries to their pitching staff after having the healthiest rotation in the major leagues last season.
In 2024, the Mariners were the only team in baseball with four pitchers who started 30 or more games. Only seven pitchers started for Seattle all last season — the least in the majors. This year, three starting pitchers have landed on the injured list and nine hurlers have started games.
But, the injury woes are taking a turn for the better. George Kirby made his season debut May 22, Bryce Miller will be activated off the injured list in the coming days and Logan Gilbert will begin his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers this week.
There's been speculation the club could opt for a six-man rotation to preserve health for the rest of the season.
Seattle general manager Justin Hollander spoke to the media in a pregame scrum Tuesday and clarified there is "intrigue" in the idea of adding a man to the rotation, but it's unlikely the Mariners divert from their five-man rotation.
"I would say the unfortunate thing about the roster rules is you only get 26 spots and you only get 13 pitchers. And when you add a sixth starter, you take away a reliever. When you add a sixth starter, sometimes your starters pitch every six days and sometimes they pitch every eight or nine days. Starting pitchers are fussy, they don't like that. ... (President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto) talked about this on the road trip, I would not anticipate a full six-man rotation. There may be times where we drop in a sixth starter. But I think we will stick with a five-man rotation, at least with how we're headed right now."
This information means that fill-in starters Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans will spend the majority of the season back with Tacoma after Miller and Gilbert return.
Emerson Hancock's 2Ks in the 2nd. ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/7qFZPdA5De
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 18, 2025
Hollander's aside about the team potentially dropping in a sixth starter occasionally means that either Evans or Hancock could both make major league appearances after they're optioned back to Triple-A. The experience the two hurlers have had will be beneficial to the team, especially if another major injury pops up.
More must-reads:
- MLB abandons plans for 2026 London Series
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- The 'Switch-hitter single-season HR leaders' quiz
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The 'Switch-hitter single-season HR leaders' quiz
Regardless of what happens in October, the summer of 2025 will be remembered as the summer of Cal Raleigh. Raleigh has smashed record after record this season, starting in August when he became the first catcher to hit 50 home runs in one season. On Tuesday – in his MLB-leading 10th multi-home run game of the season – he passed Mickey Mantle for the most home runs by a switch-hitter in a season with his 55th before tying Ken Griffey Jr. for the most home runs by a Mariner on his 56th against the Kansas City Royals. The most recent homers also came in a 12-5 win that marked 10-straight for the surging Mariners, who have finally overtaken the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. Which brings us to today’s quiz. A major league switch-hitter has hit at least 35 home runs on 35 occasions in MLB history. How many of the switch-hitters to reach that milestone can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Raiders' Pete Carroll admits disappointing truth about Ashton Jeanty
The Las Vegas Raiders had high hopes and expectations when they took Boise State phenom Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in this year's draft. It's becoming increasingly rare to see running backs drafted so high, but after watching him post one of the single greatest seasons in college football history, he looked more than worthy of that honor. So far, however, the 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist has looked quite mortal in his first two games in the pros. Ashton Jeanty hasn't gotten off to a fast start in the NFL He logged 38 yards and one score in his NFL debut, and then logged just 43 yards on 11 carries in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. That's why Raiders head coach Pete Carroll had to admit that they needed to take things slowly with Jeanty. While he acknowledged that they hadn't done much to put Jeanty in a position to succeed, he remains optimistic about the RB's prospects. "We're just getting started (with Jeanty)," Carroll told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "He's breaking into the NFL. He's figuring it out. He'll get more carries. We have to run the ball more effectively. We only got (68 yards), and that's not enough. We need more than that. We're bringing (Jeanty) along. More will come." Ashton Jeanty knows he has to do better Jeanty is averaging 2.7 yards per attempt, which is a far cry from his 6.4 yards per carry in college. At least he knows he has to be better, and he believes it's just a matter of time before he gets used to the speed of the pros. "Last week it was on me, I didn't do a good job of reading the plays. I'll put it on myself again this week," Jeanty said. "Just getting used to the speed, honestly. Last week kind of felt like I was moving a little slower, this week felt better. Still not there yet, but once it happens, it will be good." Jeanty continued commenting on the situation on Wednesday. He didn't mince words. Jeanty has posted the fewest rushing yards (81) among players with at least 30 carries, and his next chance to turn the page will come in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders' beatable run defense.
Kyle Shanahan has surprising Brock Purdy update — 49ers are confident in QB situation regardless
Chargers star Khalil Mack's outlook is better than expected
Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack will be out for a few weeks after dislocating his elbow during Monday night’s matchup with the Raiders, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Who will take Khalil Mack's place for the Los Angeles Chargers? The injury is not season-ending, but Los Angeles will need one of its depth outside linebackers to take Mack’s place for the time being. That will likely be veteran Bud Dupree, who replaced Mack on Monday and has significantly more experience than third-year UDFA Caleb Murphy or fourth-round rookie Kyle Kennard. At the moment, it seems unlikely that the Chargers will make a signing to bolster their OLB depth. Mack’s injury is not expected to be long-term, and the pool of free-agent edge-rushers has suddenly dried up after both Preston Smith and Jadeveon Clowney signed with new teams this week. The Chargers did host their rival's former draft bust on a visit. Instead, the Chargers’ plan will likely be as follows: Dupree will start, with Murphy receiving a bump in snaps as the No. 3 edge-rusher and Kennard making his NFL debut after two healthy scratches to start the year. The team was comfortable with only four active outside linebackers in Weeks 1 and 2, so it may not feel the need to make an elevation from the practice squad. Mack, 34, was quiet in Week 1 against the Chiefs but looked better on Monday with one sack and one tackle for loss in Las Vegas. He re-signed with the Chargers this offseason on a one-year, $18M deal after six sacks in 2024.
Fantasy football Week 3: Five players who could smash their projections
Week 3 is a pivotal week in fantasy football, especially for all the 0-2 owners out there. Thankfully, we're here to help with some under-the-radar smash spots for the Week 3 NFL slate. Bengals QB Jake Browning vs. Vikings PPR projection: 15.8 Browning replaced Joe Burrow last week and finished the game with two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and 17.7 fantasy points. He won't be able to replicate Burrow's production in this offense, but Browning's aggressiveness gives him huge upside due to the talent surrounding him. Browning faced Brian Flores' defense two years ago and put up 324 passing yards and two touchdowns. Titans RB Tony Pollard vs. Colts PPR projection: 14.7 Pollard is dominating the backfield touches for Tennessee early on. The former Dallas Cowboy has played 89 percent of the offensive snaps through two weeks and already has 39 touches for 181 yards. This is also a much easier matchup against the Colts, which rank 29th in the NFL in yards allowed per rush (5.4) through two games. Vikings RB Jordan Mason vs. Bengals PPR projection: 14.7 This is the moment Mason owners have been waiting for since their draft. The Vikings placed Aaron Jones on injured reserve this week, so Mason is primed to serve as Minnesota's bellcow running back for the next month. He should see 20 touches against a Bengals defense that gave up 17.3 PPR points to Dylan Sampson and 16.9 to Travis Etienne. Fire Mason up as a borderline RB1 this week. Packers WR Matthew Golden vs. Browns PPR projection: 8.8 Golden is off to a slow start with just four targets, two catches and 16 receiving yards through two games, but the breakout performance is coming. The rookie wide receiver played 59 percent of Green Bay's offensive snaps, second behind only Romeo Doubs' 74 percent. Golden leads the NFL in average separation score, per Fantasy Points Data, so we just need Jordan Love to look his way more often. Falcons TE Kyle Pitts vs. Panthers PPR projection: 9.5 Pitts is finally finding some success in this Falcons offense. The first-round pick has 13 targets, 11 catches and 96 receiving yards through two games. He's also played nearly 80 percent of Atlanta's offensive snaps, and his 21 percent target share is the highest of his career. In Carolina's two games this season, the opposing tight end led their team in receiving yards both times. Pitts should feast against these linebackers.
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