WASHINGTON -- The Mariners’ front office suggested upon returning to a six-man rotation two weeks ago that it would reassess after getting through their three-city, 10-game road trip.
And it appears that could indeed be the case.
During Monday’s off-day, the club announced its rotation alignment for its three-game series vs. the Orioles beginning Tuesday -- listing Logan Gilbert for the first game, George Kirby for the second and TBA for the finale. It’s not uncommon for the Mariners to hold off on announcing a starter a few days out, but they typically reveal their plans for an entire series at once.
So, now the wait will be on whether they remain with a six-man, revert to the piggyback or have something else in store altogether.
Thursday's game would be Bryan Woo’s spot, one week after he surrendered seven earned runs in a 7-5 loss at Baltimore, including a career-high six in a single inning. That day would also line up for Bryce Miller to start on regular rest, having pitched most recently on Friday, when he put together arguably the most complete outing of any Mariners starter this season.
In that context, the Mariners may want to maximize Miller’s innings moving forward. He has a 1.54 ERA (260 ERA+, where league average is 100) while holding hitters to a .513 OPS since returning from a left oblique strain on May 13, a span of six outings, over which the Mariners are 4-2.
Miller had been one half of the piggyback that the Mariners deployed for three turns through, along with Luis Castillo. And the tactic -- despite some public player frustration with its communication -- worked extremely well. Miller and Castillo carried a combined 1.67 ERA and won two of the three outings, accounting for 27 of the 28 total innings pitched in those games.
Castillo has rebounded some since they went to the piggyback, too, with four earned runs over 20 1/3 innings (1.77 ERA, though he’s also given up four unearned runs).
Meanwhile, also lurking in the club’s plans is uber-prospect Kade Anderson, who continues to dominate at Double-A Arkansas, now 6-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 11 starts. Despite being the No. 3 overall pick from just last year, it’s long been envisioned that the left-hander could help the big league team at some point this summer if he checks all boxes. And he’s doing just that.
Also on Monday, the club announced two roster moves -- optioning corner infielder Patrick Wisdom to Triple-A Tacoma and outrighting right-hander Domingo Gonzalez to Triple-A after he cleared waivers. Seattle designated Gonzalez for assignment to make room for Michael Rucker on the 40-man roster last week.
Wisdom is presumably the precursor move for J.P. Crawford, who said before Sunday’s loss at Nationals Park that he expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list (right hand contusion). All signs also point to the club activating Cal Raleigh (right oblique strain), based on what manager Dan Wilson intimated before the club’s charter back to Seattle.
“Obviously, the results have been good,” Wilson said. “So I think that's the plan, and we'll just kind of see how he bounces back from [Sunday], and continue to assess it and make our decision.”
Raleigh, who played in his fifth Minors rehab game on Sunday, would also necessitate a corresponding move. That would likely be Jhonny Pereda, who’s made a strong impression but has Minor League options remaining.
The only other realistic option, if they were to opt carrying three catchers, would be infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni, though doing so would leave them without a backup infielder. They also aren't going to move on from veteran Mitch Garver, who's blossomed into a key leader and Raleigh's right-hand man.
One revelation to Wisdom being optioned, too, is that Josh Naylor’s status is probably not overly concerning after the slugger fouled one hard into his right shin. X-rays came back negative and he said in passing that he was “doing all right.” Wisdom was the backup first baseman and took over when Naylor exited during the sixth inning on Sunday.
Tuesday figures to be one of the club’s busier days of the 2026 season, at least on the news front, as general manager Justin Hollander will also address the state of the IL.
Updates are expected on Brendan Donovan (left groin muscle strain) and Matt Brash (right lat strain), each of whom have been rehabbing at the club’s Spring Training facility in Arizona, as well as Andrés Muñoz, who left Sunday’s game with lower back tightness.