Injury to Mariners’ Gilbert has a reason for concern

The Seattle Mariners have faced a number of tough blows health-wise early this year, and the recent injury to Logan Gilbert is right at the top of the list.

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Gilbert, the club’s opening day starter, left Friday’s game against the Miami Marlins after just three innings with a flexor strain in his right elbow, an injury that can be a precursor to UCL issues. He landed on the 15-day injured list the following day.

Both Gilbert and the club have expressed optimism after imaging done Saturday showed a mild (Grade 1) strain, but he’ll be out for at least two weeks, and the club will re-evaluate the injury at that point. With Gilbert on the IL, the rotation is now without him and 2023 All-Star George Kirby.

During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Tuesday, Mariners color analyst and former MLB pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith discussed Gilbert’s injury and how the pitching staff has had a different identity this season.

“I remember when he came out, it was just this like black cloud of no energy at all around that team because, you could just tell, that’s your guy,” Rowland-Smith said. “That’s your guy who goes 200-plus innings. That’s your guy who makes 32 starts, who goes deep in the games, all those things beyond the stuff (in his pitching arsenal) that really matter and make a difference on the team. So you lose that.”

Gilbert has been an incredibly durable arm for the Mariners. This is his first IL stint since making his MLB debut in May 2021, and he’s made at least 32 starts in each of the past three seasons, which includes tossing a league-high 208 2/3 innings last season.

Gilbert’s durability and the optimism expressed after initial imaging was done on his elbow could indicate that the injury won’t keep the ace out for too long. But there was a comment Gilbert made that was a little troublesome to Rowland-Smith. After his start against Miami, Gilbert said he felt some discomfort pregame, and one of the results of that was that he decided not to throw any splitters.

The splitter has been the right-hander’s best pitch since he introduced it in 2023. Batters have hit under .200 against it in each season, including .101 off it in 2024 and .067 against it so far in 2025. He had thrown the pitch 22.5% of the time this season entering Friday’s start.

“That’s not because he’s facing the Marlins and he thinks he can just dominate them,” Rowland-Smith said of why Gilbert ditched the splitter. “No, that’s because it hurts every time he tries to throw a split, so that was concerning. That’s his best pitch, he throws it max effort, and that’s a pitch that can really mess with that elbow.”

Splitters were long associated with increased risk of UCL injury due to the increased tension the pitch’s grip puts on the elbow, although research hasn’t proven that the pitch leads to more injuries than others.

Different identity for pitching staff

Even with Gilbert in the fold, the M’s starting staff hasn’t been the same dominant unit it was a year ago. The club entered Tuesday 14th in starter ERA (3.88), 18th in walks per nine innings (3.38) and 21st in innings pitched (144). Seattle starters were first in all three categories last season.

What’s stuck to Rowland-Smith about the regression is just how much harder Seattle’s starters are having to work to get outs.

“It’s a situation where it’s taking you a lot longer, kind of collectively, to get guys out,” he said. “So the identity of the rotation looks completely different because they’re taking a lot of pitches in at-bats to get outs. That’s a little concerning.”

That’s also resulted in the bullpen being called on far more often than it was a season ago. Mariners relievers logged the least amount of innings in baseball last season by a fairly wide margin, but they’ve thrown the fourth-most innings (112 1/3) this year. Without an innings-eater like Gilbert, the bullpen could end up getting used even more.

“When you push them a little bit on the depth side of things, when you’re talking about going less (deep in) outings, that’s where they get a little bit more exposed,” Rowland-Smith said. “Until you get a Matt Brash (back from injury) and until you get a Troy Taylor who’s really got his feet underneath him … I think there’s a few holes there.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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