Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton throws during a game against the Texas Rangers on April 11 at T-Mobile Park. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners' GM Offers Details on Injury to Important Reliever

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Teren Kowatsch | Last updated May 10, 2025 9:45 AM ET

SEATTLE — One of the most-used relievers in the Seattle Mariners bullpen was put on the shelf with a surprising injury before Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Mariners placed right-handed pitcher Trent Thornton on the 15-day injured list with appendicitis and recalled Troy Taylor from the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in a corresponding move. Thornton's IL move was retrodated to May 6.

Roster moves:

Troy Taylor, RHP, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
Trent Thornton, RHP, placed on 15-day IL (appendicitis, retro 5/6).
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) May 9, 2025

Thornton's last outing was in a 7-6 loss against the Athletics on May 5. He pitched one inning, walked one and allowed two hits.

Seattle general manager Justin Hollander spoke to the media before the game against Toronto on Friday and provided an injury update on several players, including on Thornton.

Thornton had been feeling unwell over several days and the team sent him to a doctor to get checked. That's when the appendicitis was discovered, and Thornton promptly underwent surgery after the condition was diagnosed. Thornton will be out for several weeks, according to Hollander.

"I got a text (Thursday) morning that they were going to get him an appointment," Hollander said. Thankfully they did because they caught it in time where they were able to do a surgery before the appendicitis became something worse than that."

The Mariners don't have an exact time frame on Thornton's return, but Hollander said he'll be down closer to three weeks than the 15-day IL window.

"From what I understand, he's already itching to (resume throwing)," Hollander said. "He feels much better already after the surgery last night. He's a super competitive guy, wants to be out there. It'll be a couple weeks, though, at a minimum. Fifteen days is probably even too soon to think about it."

Thornton has a 5.86 ERA this season with 11 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched across 16 appearances. His number of outings was tied for third-most on the team entering Saturday. He led Seattle in outings (71) in 2024. He had a 3.61 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched.