Mariners are now dealing with another key injury in their bullpen

Opening Day is a little over two weeks away and the Mariners have yet another injury setback to deal with. Earlier this month, the Mariners had a serious scare with Matt Brash going down with an elbow injury. While Brash will miss some time, it could have been much worse. He is dealing with elbow inflammation, but his UCL is still intact, meaning he will not have to undergo Tommy John surgery. He will still miss Opening Day, and maybe the first month of the season, but he should be back.

Brash is not the only key bullpen arm to start the year on the injured list. RHP Jackson Kowar will be out for the season with a torn UCL, requiring Tommy John Surgery. Earlier today, Seattle Times beat writer Ryan Divish tweeted out the news on newly acquired pitcher Gregory Santos:

Like Brash's injury, an MRI showed no structural damage, just inflammation. It is possible that Santos would not have been ready for Opening Day anyway, as he was working his way back from an elbow injury suffered late last season. I still expect both Brash and Santos to be back sooner rather than later, and be key contributors in the back of the bullpen.

As for who can replace Santos, the Mariners did sign free agent reliever Ryne Stanek earlier this week. Stanek was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2022, posting a 1.15 ERA over 54+ innings, with an ERA+ of 333. While nobody is expecting him to duplicate those numbers, Stanek is still a solid pitcher who has pitched in high-leverage roles over the years for the Houston Astros.

The Mariners also seem to like reliever Tyson Miller, who is not currently on the 40 man roster. He has a career 6.97 ERA over 31 innings. He has bounced around the league a bit, but he may have found a home here in Seattle.

Other names to look out for include Ty Buttrey and Jhonathan Diaz. Both of these guys, along with Tyson Miller, are non-roster invitees. Both Buttrey and Diaz have been good this Spring, and they have yet to be sent down or released.

These two injuries also open the door for relievers Austin Voth, Cody Bolton, Trent Thornton and Carlos Vargas. All 4 of these guys are already on the 40-man roster, so they may have a leg up on Miller, Buttrey, and Diaz.

The Mariners could also make a trade, but I think that they will look to replace these guys internally, especially because they only should be out for a short amount of time. Whoever Scott Servais and the front office choose, they will have big shoes to fill. As always, Go Mariners!