George Kirby’s return to Seattle Mariners from IL is now set

All-Star pitcher George Kirby is finally set to make his 2025 season debut for the Seattle Mariners.

Mariners insider Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports reported Wednesday morning that Kirby will be activated from the injured list in time to start for the Mariners in the first game of a road series against the Houston Astros on Thursday.

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Kirby, who was an All-Star in 2023 and led MLB in strikeouts-to-walk ratio and walks per nine innings in each of the past two seasons, was shut down in spring training due to right shoulder inflammation, delaying the start of his season.

The 27-year-old right-hander has made three appearances on a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers this month, pitching three innings twice and then four innings last Friday.

“Obviously looking forward to getting George back out there,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said before Wednesday’s game in Chicago. “I know it’s been a long road for George since spring training. And you know, you put the work in, you do your rehab assignments and mentally you’re ready to go.”

Wilson said Kirby probably would be limited to “75, maybe 80 pitches” against the Astros.

A 2019 first-round MLB Draft pick by the Mariners out of Elon, Kirby went 14-11 in with a 3.53 ERA and 1.068 WHIP last season. His best year with Seattle to date was 2023, his first full season in the big leagues, where he went 13-10 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.038 WHIP.

Kirby is known for his impressive control and expansive repertoire while also being able to throw into the upper 90s with his fastball. His MLB-leading 1.08 walks per nine innings in 2024 was 0.23 better than the No. 2 pitcher on the leaderboard, and his MLB-best 7.78 strikeouts-to-walk ratio was 1.27 more than second on the list. He was even better in those two categories in 2023: his 0.90 walks per nine innings was best by 0.32, and his 9.05 strikeouts-to-walk ratio led the league by 1.3.

The Mariners’ vaunted starting rotation has been hindered by injuries early this season. In addition to Kirby’s shoulder problem, 2024 All-Star Logan Gilbert has been on the IL since late April with a right elbow flexor strain, and Bryce Miller recently joined them on the IL with right elbow inflammation. But Seattle is close to returning to full-strength. The team is hopeful Miller can be back by the end of May, and Gilbert’s return may not be far behind that.

Despite the injuries in the rotation, the Mariners entered Wednesday with a 27-20 record, which leads Houston (25-23) for first place in the AL West by 2 1/2 games.

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The Mariners are set for an 11:10 a.m. series finale Wednesday against the White Sox, though adverse weather in Chicago could result in a rain delay for the second time in as many days. Radio coverage on Seattle Sports will begin at 10 a.m. with the pregame show.

Seattle’s series opener against the Astros is set for 5:10 p.m. Thursday.

This post includes an excerpt from a report by The Associated Press.

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