Mariners Injury Update: Bryce Miller progress, Victor Robles and Carlos Vargas status

Especially when compared to the endlessly banged up Houston Astros, the Seattle Mariners are one of the healthier teams in MLB right now. Yet Bryce Miller's absence has loomed large for weeks, and it's only now that there's some clarity as to how his injured left oblique is progressing.

Whereas the righty's situation had turned into something of a black box after the Mariners left Peoria, Dan Wilson finally gave an update on Miller on Monday. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com was among those there to report it from T-Mobile Park, passing along word that a Sunday bullpen session went well.

Brent Stecker of Seattle Sports further reported that Miller could join the Mariners in Seattle during their next homestand, which begins on April 17 and runs through April 22. He probably won't be ready to pitch by then, though. He hasn't thrown in a game since his spring debut on February 26, so he's going to need a rehab assignment before he can be activated.

Perhaps the more pressing question is what the Mariners will do when Miller is ready to return. He's too good to keep stashed at Triple-A Tacoma, yet the same is suddenly true of Emerson Hancock. As such, going to a six-man rotation might make sense.

Mariners don't want to push Victor Robles' pectoral strain too hard

Meanwhile, Victor Robles is also on the injured list after straining his right pec making throws before a game last week. The Mariners want to know he can throw again before he returns to his spot on the bench. For is part, Wilson doesn't know "how definite the timeline is at this point."

The Mariners have every reason to tread carefully with Robles. It seemed like a minor issue when Bryan Woo also injured his right pec last September, but it kept him out for weeks before he finally returned as a reliever in the ALCS.

Carlos Vargas is on the 60-day IL and won't return before late May

Carlos Vargas is the other notable Mariners player on the IL, and he's indeed on the 60-day IL as of last week. He hurt his right lat playing catch before the club's 2026 opener back on March 26.

Vargas' IL stint is retroactive to March 24, so he can't come off until May 23 at the earliest. And according to the team's official website, late May represents "the earliest" that the hard-throwing righty will be ready to return to the bullpen.

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