Mariners' Bryce Miller injury reveal pulls rug out from under good vibes

Remember when Seattle Mariners camp was all abuzz about how Bryce Miller was not only feeling really good, but throwing really hard? That was only on Thursday, but now here comes an oblique injury to crash the party.

As reported by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Miller underwent imaging on Friday that revealed inflammation in his left oblique. He had a platelet rich plasma shot and is going to be shut down over the weekend.

As for when the 27-year-old will be able to return to the mound, this timeline from Kramer leaves that up in the air:

One supposes it was just a matter of time before the Mariners ran into a sour storyline like this one. And, hey, it could be worse. This isn't quite the same as George Kirby getting shut down with shoulder inflammation last March, which delayed his 2025 debut until May 22.

Indeed, the team doesn't seem concerned. As GM Justin Hollander said, per Kramer: "We don't think it's serious. He's probably presenting more like on the images than he is symptomatically right now."

Bryce Miller's oblique injury crashes the good vibes at Mariners camp

Even so, there's nothing wrong with taking the Mariners' stance on Miller with a grain of salt. There's always the risk that a supposedly minor injury will take everyone by surprise, as Bryan Woo's pec inflammation seemed to late last year.

As is, the timeline here isn't good news even if it isn't necessarily bad news either. Miller is going to miss at least one Cactus League start, and that alone is enough to cause doubt as to whether he'll be ready for Opening Day. He only got four outs in his Cactus League debut on Thursday. And by this coming Thursday, the Mariners' March 26 opener will only be three weeks away.

Whatever the case, it's a bummer for Miller that he's already hit an injury wall, even if it does prove to be a minor one.

The vibes around him were tremendously strong just a couple days ago, and there was a lot going into that. He was talking up how good he felt after getting his elbow pain from 2025 figured out. And in his start on Thursday, his fastball was sitting 2.5 mph above where it sat last season.

Of course, even if Miller does have to delay his start to his regular season, it will be worth it if he comes out pitching like he did in 2024. He was quietly the best starter the Mariners had, posting a 2.94 ERA with a staff-high 3.4 rWAR.

So, cross your fingers. Not just for Miller's sake, but in hopes that his oblique will be the worst of the injury news the Mariners get this spring.