Mariners' Matt Brash will be on injured list ‘a while' | Notebook
BALTIMORE - One day after one of the Mariners' best relievers landed back on the injured list, manager Dan Wilson acknowledged Matt Brash (right lat strain) will be sidelined for much longer than his most recent stint on the IL.
"It's going to be a while," Wilson said Thursday afternoon. "He won't be able to throw for awhile."
Brash flew back to Seattle for further evaluation with the team's medical staff. From there, he's scheduled to head to Arizona to formally begin his recovery process at the team's facility there.
Brash, 28, landed on the IL on May 1 with right lat inflammation and returned on May 20.
The club has described his new issue as a lat strain, suggesting a more serious muscle injury. No specific timetable has been announced.
No two injuries are exactly the same, but it's worth nothing that another Mariners reliever, Carlos Vargas, also has a right lat strain that has kept him out since late March. Vargas likely won't be back until after the All-Star break.
The Mariners have lost two key relievers, Brash and Cooper Criswell (right shoulder strain), to injuries this week in Baltimore.
"You feel for both Matty and ‘Cris,'" Wilson said. "Those are obviously two guys that we lean on quite a bit. Injuries are part of the game, and we're going to have to adapt and overcome them."
Colt Emerson returns
It was suddenly a crowded infield for the Mariners on Thursday afternoon.
Amid all the injuries woes, there were couple encouraging updates for the M's: rookie sensation Colt Emerson was back in the line upfront Thursday's series finale against the Orioles after missing the first three games of the series because of back spasms.
Emerson started at shortstop and batted ninth.
J.P. Crawford took several rounds of groundballs for the first time since he was placed on the injured list Monday with a hand contusion.
Crawford spent pregame drills working at third base, alongside Miles Mastrobuoni, who got his first start of the season at the hot corner Thursday.
Emerson and a new face - a certain All-Star centerfielder - took grounders at shortstop.
Julio Rodriguez isn't a serious option on the infield, but he was certainly having fun working with the infielder.
The next step for Crawford will be able to swing a bat full-go in the cages. He is optimistic he'll be able to return when eligible on Tuesday, the same day the Mariners hope star catcher Cal Raleigh (right oblique strain) is ready to return from his monthlong stint on the IL.
Local product promoted
The Mariners merry-go-‘round bullpen continued to spin Thursday when Domingo González was designated for assignment and a fresh arm, Michael Rucker, was brought in from Triple-A Tacoma.
Rucker is a 32-year-old right-hander who graduated from Auburn Riverside High School and calls Bonney Lake home.
Late Wednesday, Rucker, his wife, Sydney, and their 1-year-old son, Huck, scrambled to catch a 10:20 p.m. Alaska Airlines flight to Baltimore - the same redeye rookie right-hander Nick Davila hustled to catch two nights earlier.
Rucker missed all of the 2025 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery performed in October 2024.
This week in Baltimore-Washington D.C. will mark a full-circle trip for Rucker, who was in his first big-league camp with Baltimore and then made his major-league debut with the Chicago Cubs against Washington at Nationals Park.
Rucker appeared in 96 games with the Cubs from 2021-23, posting a 4.96 ERA in 123.1 innings.
He signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners this winter and had a 1.59 ERA with 11 walks and 25 strikeouts in 22.2 innings for Tacoma this season.
"I've had a couple guys (in the clubhouse) ask, ‘Oh, is this your debut?'" Rucker said. "And it kind of feels like it, even though I have a good amount of time (in the majors). But it feels good to get my feet back underneath me and trust that it's just like riding a bike."
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.