SEATTLE -- The Mariners spent Friday afternoon contemplating whether Matt Brash needed to be placed on the 15-day injured list after an MRI revealed inflammation in his right lat.
The club ultimately did make that transaction two hours before its series opener vs. Kansas City.
The move is retroactive to Thursday, meaning the earliest Brash can be activated is May 15. In a corresponding move, left-hander Josh Simpson was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
Brash will not throw for three to five days, after which the Mariners will build him back up. He exited Wednesday’s game in Minnesota after throwing two pitches, then revealed postgame that the discomfort had been lingering for a few days. But it was never significant enough to sound the alarm.
“It just kind of creeped up on me in the bullpen before I came in,” Brash said, “and then I got in the game hoping that my adrenaline would take over a little bit and kind of get through it. And I just kind of knew right away.”
Imaging revealed no structural issues, and Mariners general manager Justin Hollander called the results “probably the best news we could have possibly hoped for” because “it’s nothing significant.”
The Mariners were already being more careful with Brash than most pitchers, given that this will be his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. He’s carried a 0.00 ERA through 14 outings.
“We will continue to be conservative,” Hollander said.
Simpson’s addition gives manager Dan Wilson three lefty relievers. The club acquired him from Miami in exchange for cash considerations on Feb. 16, and he’s been off to a decent start at Tacoma, with just one run in 9 1/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts and six walks.
The news on Brash came as Hollander delivered a state-of-the-IL address, typical for most homestand openers.
3B Brendan Donovan (left groin muscle strain)
Donovan is no longer expected to be activated on Seattle’s six-game homestand but will instead take part in a two-game rehab assignment at Double-A Arkansas beginning Tuesday. If that goes well, he’ll be activated May 8 in Chicago.
After remaining in Seattle during the club’s road trip, Donovan went through an extensive pregame workout on Friday -- with agility, fielding and hitting drills.
Longer-term, Donovan has suggested that this issue will continue to be monitored and is likely related to the sports hernia surgery he underwent last October.
“We've had these injuries in the past, and the players who’ve had the offseason sports hernia surgery tend to battle it for a good portion of the season next year,” Hollander said. “It just doesn't always feel comfortable, and I don't know if you can overcorrect or put more strain on different parts of your body because you don't feel super comfortable as a result of the surgery. It just takes time.”
RHP Bryce Miller (left oblique strain)
Miller will make at least one more rehab start -- on Wednesday at High-A Everett -- after which the club will assess if he’s ready to be activated.
Because he’s targeting 65-70 pitches, it’s conceivable that this could be his final tuneup. But the Mariners have also said that they intend to use the full 30-day allotment, which Miller began on April 18.
“If he's ready after the next one, obviously, we can talk about it, if we feel like he is,” Hollander said. “But we don't want to just say, 'No matter what, this is his last one.' So we'll see how it goes and see how he feels.”
Miller was dominant again in his third outing on Thursday at Tacoma, twirling four scoreless innings with two hits, two walks and four strikeouts. He was also up to 98.8 mph and averaged 96.6 mph.
OF Victor Robles (right pec strain)
He’ll begin a rehab assignment on Sunday at Tacoma, which will, at minimum, last seven days but could go longer.
The last item that he needs to clear is throwing to home plate from the outfield, along with live at-bats, since he’s been out since April 7.
RHP Carlos Vargas (right lat strain)
He recently experienced a mild setback in the early stages of his throwing program and will have to start his program over.
It’s unclear when that will be, but Hollander said that it shouldn’t impact the reliever’s longer-term timeline, which was already going to be late May at the earliest after he was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 8.
INF Miles Mastrobuoni (right calf strain)
He tweaked his other calf after beginning a Minors rehab assignment with Tacoma and has been sidelined since April 18. He’s been recovering in Arizona and is targeting a fresh rehab assignment in three weeks.