Logan Gilbert to 15-day IL with right elbow flexor strain

Casey Lawrence DFA’d; LHP Tayler Saucedo and RHP Troy Taylor recalled

Friday night’s loss against the Marlins hurt the Mariners in more than just the standings, as starter Logan Gilbert was removed from the game after the third inning with what the team announced as right forearm tightness; postgame, both manager Dan Wilson and Logan Gilbert described it as “stiffness.” Gilbert felt the stiffness pregame and described it as not abnormal for this point in the season— “there’s just a hump you kind of got to get over, and I felt like I was almost at that point”—but was frustrated that the stiffness refused to resolve itself, leading to his short night.

The Mariners announced today that Gilbert is being placed on the 15-day Injured List with a right elbow flexor strain. An MRI showed a Grade 1 (lowest level) flexor strain.

“It didn’t really get a ton worse, which is good,” Gilbert said, saying he was talking with trainers before and during the game. “Just a little tight, and Dan was just adamant about trying to do his best [by his players], and hopefully it’s nothing serious, and [it’s a] long season, and that kind of stuff.”

Gilbert said he lobbied to go back out in the fourth, but was denied. “They always try to do what’s best for us, which is what’s smartest in the long run.”

Despite pitching a perfect three innings, Gilbert’s velocity was noticeably down as he opened the game with two big misses to Xavier Edwards before getting him to ground out. He also had an uncharacteristic miss with a slider, hanging one in the middle of the plate that Eric Wagaman cued just foul. While occasionally grazing 95, Gilbert’s velocity—usually a sharp 97-98 in the first inning or two—failed to rebound, as he was scraping 93s and 94s in the third inning, when he visibly winced after delivering his final pitch of the inning. Gilbert didn’t throw any splitters, to his recollection (Statcast has him as throwing one, but that might have been a slider), saying they didn’t think it was “a great idea”, and noted that the fastball felt tight. Gilbert did note that his slider didn’t cause him any trouble, as he was able to lean on the pitch to get him through his three-inning outing, which made him feel optimistic about the injury.

Forearm strains are not as serious as tears, where the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) is seriously damaged, but they are concerning, as soreness in the area is often—but not always—a precursor to Tommy John (UCL reconstruction) surgery, which has a recovery time from a year and a half or longer.

The Mariners will shut Gilbert down for two weeks, at which point he will be re-evaluated to determine next steps in his recovery.

Gilbert has, over his time with Seattle, been renowned for his meticulous arm care routine, so much so that it’s been a running joke on ROOT broadcasts where he’s been gently needled about his “bag of tricks.” As other pitchers have been sidelined with various ailments, Gilbert has been the workhorse of the Mariners staff since making the big leagues; his long track record of health dates back to his time in the minors, or even further back to his college history, when he performed in a similar capacity at Stetson.

“That part’s tough,” said Gilbert postgrame. “I mean, I don’t want to make it like a pity party about myself, but I take a lot of pride in that. It’s kind of how I want to be known, eating innings and being dependable and being healthy...I’ve never really come out of a start. I think this is the first one. So like I said, it’s not all about me, but it’s kind of tough. First time, that kind of stuff.”

To take Gilbert’s place on the roster, the Mariners recalled LHP Tayler Saucedo and RHP Troy Taylor from Tacoma, and DFA’d Casey Lawrence, who provided five innings of long relief in last night’s game after Gilbert was forced out. Saucedo and Taylor will provide coverage for a thinned-out bullpen for now, but the team will have to make determinations on next steps. The team does have two upcoming off-days this week, one on Monday and one on Thursday, offering them some flexibility in dealing with this most recent situation. The team is already coping with the absence of George Kirby, who threw a bullpen at T-Mobile Park yesterday but has not yet progressed to throwing to live hitters, the step before going on a rehab assignment.

For now, the Mariners will anxiously await news on the severity of the injury to Gilbert, their Opening Day starter and the anchor of their rotation. Entering tonight’s game, Gilbert, although not working as deep into starts as he typically has, had a 2.63 ERA and led all qualified MLB starters with a 38% strikeout rate; he ranks in the 98th percentile in baseball in Whiff%. To lose him for any significant amount of time would be devastating both for the team, and for the All-Star himself, one of baseball’s best pitchers.

“I’ve got a lot of faith,” said Gilbert. “God’s got a plan; I trust in that. I think it’ll be all right. I think it could be a lot, lot worse.”

This story has been updated; updated information is shown in bold type.