Mariners Notebook: Matt Brash feels his best since ’24 surgery

Matt Brash’s start to Seattle Mariners spring training was not what he wanted it to be. The pitching was where he wanted it to be, but he was sidelined by a cracked molar that knocked him out of a few days of work and just plain felt awful.

“It was definitely a tough couple of days,” Brash said Wednesday.

Josh Naylor shows friendly side by greeting history-making umpire

Brash experienced extra bleeding after the tooth extraction and had to have a followup procedure. Late last week he was seen in camp with a swollen face, clearly miserable. For a few days his diet had to be limited to smoothies as he couldn’t eat. Finally, he returned close to normalcy Tuesday and was able to throw a bullpen that turned out better than expected, as he declared it his best since the Tommy John surgery he underwent in May 2024.

Good to see Brash throwing again after being down a few days following dental work. pic.twitter.com/tWGFPCMJcc

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) February 24, 2026

“I feel really good right now,” he said. “Even though all last year my arm felt fine, your body still feels a little different. You aren’t moving the same. Maybe I was trying a little too hard to throw hard. Yesterday, it was 95-96 (mph) nice and easy. I felt like my normal self, really smooth.”

What Brash reported feeling is common for pitchers in their first year back from Tommy John surgery. The arm feels different and the body often responds differently. A full offseason is what it usually takes for a pitcher to get back truly feeling like themselves, and that’s where Brash is this week.

“I’m just super happy about that and really excited to get in some games here at the end of spring training and get the season started,” he said.

If the “end of spring training” raises some eyebrows, it probably shouldn’t. Brash won’t need much to ramp up before the start of the season, and bringing him along slowly has been a part of the plan for some time now. Pitching strategist Trent Blank put Brash on a program this winter that would ensure he didn’t get too hot too early; rather, Brash would build up and let the velocity come to him. More of a feel-it-out program, introducing the off-speed pitches a little later.

“I feel like I was a little tense,” Brash said of his work last year. “I was trying hard to get my velo back and that’s not me. I’m like loose until my foot lands and it’s go-time to release the ball. I feel that’s where my velo comes from. That’s where I feel best moving down the mound. So I just want to be loose.”

Brash spent the winter working on small tweaks to his delivery to help keep it smooth. While he was working, he was gauging where he was in terms of readiness for a possible outing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada. He had told coach Greg Hamilton he would love to pitch for his country, as he did in 2023, but would only be able to do so if his winter work went perfectly. After coming up with a bit of inflammation that forced him to stop throwing for a few days, Brash decided it best to turn his attention to the long season ahead of him and let Team Canada know he would not be able to pitch for them.

“The season is more important in the grand scheme of things just to come back healthy for the Mariners,” he said. “Obviously it was not a decision I wanted to make. It’s tough, I wanted to play for my country. In the grand scheme of things it was important to take my time, be cautionary and just kind of get ready for the season.”

It is a season he is looking forward to. With the surgery – and post-surgery comeback – behind him, and a bullpen that has been bolstered with the addition of left-hander Jose Ferrer, Brash sees good things ahead for the Mariners.

“Ferrer has amazing stuff,” he said. “I’m just excited. I feel like I’m going to be fully healthy, have my A-1 stuff back. Then obviously Muni (Andrés Muñoz) and Gabe (Speier) are going to do their thing. I feel like if we have the lead going late in the game, we should be very confident in all of our abilities to get the job done.”

Notes

• The Mariners played to an 8-8 tie against the Royals in Surprise on Wedneaday. Highlights included Muñoz striking out Bobby Witt Jr. on a fastball clocked at 100 mph and Rob Refsnyder going 2 for 2 with a RBI double. Bryan Woo saw his first game action of the spring, throwing two pitch count-shortened innings, surrendering a run on two hits while striking out two.

“First time at full, full game speed, honestly just trying to fill up the zone and throw everything and get on the same page with the catchers who are new,” Woo said after.

Like most of the Mariners’ starting pitchers, Woo is not focusing on adding a new pitch this spring, instead telling coaches his goal for this camp is to simply get better with what he has, improving on what he did in a 2025 season where he was an All-Star and finished in the top 10 in many statistical categories.

“I think that can be the trap in spring training, whether you are developing new pitches or working on something new, sometimes you have a trap to kind of take those things into a game,” he said. “For me, I try to take games more as you worked on what you worked on during the week, just go compete now. Having the headspace to kind of differentiate between the two I think is kind of a tough thing, but I think it is important if you want to get the most out of your work.”

• J.P. Crawford is dealing with some shoulder issues similar to what he has encountered in early spring training before. He has yet to appear in a Cactus League game but has been seen off and on in some of the on early work on the field and in the batting cages. Mariners manager Dan Wilson said the concern level is low and the hope is Crawford can get into a game next week.

• The Mariners host the Guardians on Thursday, with Bryce Miller to make his first spring start. Mariners Radio Network coverage will be live on the Seattle Sports app beginning at noon.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• What Brendan Donovan brings to Mariners’ leadoff spot
• Morosi: This is the year Julio Rodríguez enters his prime
• MLB Network’s Amsinger has some bold Mariners predictions
• Buster Olney expects M’s prospect Colt Emerson in majors soon
• Who’s battling for roster spots in Seattle Mariners camp?

Related

Bryan Woo goes 8 scoreless innings in 2-0 Mariners win over A’sSeattle Mariners call up top prospect Michael ArroyoSeattle Sports Radio Info: How to find Apple Cup and Mariners gameMariners lose third straight to Athletics 6-2Top prospects among Mariners’ minor league standouts in AugustA’s hit four homers in third inning, beat Mariners 7-6