Seattle Mariners Option Rookie Pitcher to Triple-A Tacoma After Dominant Start

Evans last pitched in a 9-1 Mariners win against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The 23-year-old threw eight innings, struck out four, walked one and allowed one earned run on four hits (one home run). It was the longest outing for a Seattle starting pitcher this season.

Evans was picked in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft and was brought to the big leagues for the first time in his career on April 27 against the Miami Marlins. He earned a win in his debut.

Evans posted a 2.83 ERA and a 3-1 record with 25 strikeouts in 35 innings pitched in his first six major league starts. Two of his last three outings were quality starts.

"It's always tough," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Wednesday. "Especially after he's pitched so well and gave us so many strong innings and strong performances. Always a tough thing to do that. ... I hope he's garnered a lot of confidence from what he has done here and all the success that he had and taking that as a foundation to continue to build on."

Evans made five starts in Triple-A before he was promoted. He has a 3.86 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched across five starts with the Rainiers in 2025.

Evans' demotion isn't performance based, but simply due to the structure of the roster. Kowar, who Seattle acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves on Dec. 3, 2023, was ready to be activated. Kowar missed all of 2024 and the first two months of this season due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

If Evan wasn't optioned to make room for Kowar, he would have been for starting pitcher Bryce Miller, who will be activated in the Mariners' current homestand.

Evans' first big league stint was impressive, and he likely made himself a fixture in Seattle's future plans.

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