Mariners' final spring Bryce Miller injury update adds cloud of discomfort

What if we were to tell you that Bryce Miller is the key to the Mariners reaching their ceiling as the best rotation in all of baseball? That the latest update on his left oblique strain is one which might be worthy of at least some concern, when it comes to navigating the early stretches of the 2026 season?

Two seasons ago, the Mariners rotation was No. 1 in the majors in team ERA, WHIP, batting average and fewest walks, with Miller first among their starters with a 3.5 bWAR. Then last year the M's fell off in the statistical rankings, highlighted by dropping to 13th in ERA and tied-11th in batting average, and Miller was the worst member of the rotation and limited to just 18 starts.

In defense of the righty, he was severely compromised by bone spurs in his pitching elbow, which resulted in two stints on the injured list and had actually started being an issue towards the end of the 2024 campaign. And this is why Mariners fans might be somewhat worried following Wednesday's final spring update on his current injury.

Bryce Miller is headed to the 15-day IL, but don't expect him to be ready once this stint ends

On the day the Mariners announced their Opening Day 26-man roster for the 2026 season, three players were placed on their injured list including Miller, who was placed on the 15-day IL. His placement is retroactive to Mar. 22, but if you believe he's going to be ready to come back on Apr. 5, that's probably being overly optimistic.

We were encouraged by the news on Monday of Miller completing his first 100-percent bullpen session since he suffered his oblique issue at the back end of February. He was able to get through his full repertoire of pitches and reach 98 mph on his four-seamer, resulting in a bevvy of vocal and excited reactions from teammates in attendance.

However, while the organization is talking positively about Miller's progress, no one is prepared to put a timeline on his return to the Mariners. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times has said that he will almost certainly need at least several more weeks to fully build up, and let's keep in mind this is assuming he has no further setbacks like the one in his first attempt at a full bullpen session a couple of weeks ago.

The reality is that the 2021 fourth-round draft pick basically missed all of spring training, limited to just one start and only throwing 21 pitches. Given that he's going to have to make some rehab starts before he's ready, we're probably looking at a return to the majors in mid-to-late April, if not early May.

We absolutely appreciate and agree there's no point in rushing Miller back at this time of year, especially when considering everything he went through last season and how it impacted his productivity. However, it's still a drag not to have him available, especially when considering he's capable of outstanding performances like Game 1 of the 2025 ALCS against the Blue Jays, when he pitched 6.0 innings of one-run ball in the hostile environment of Toronto in a 3-1 Mariners win.