SEATTLE -- At long last, Logan Gilbert is set to return to the Mariners’ rotation.
Seattle’s Opening Day starter will be activated from the 15-day injured list on Monday and start that evening’s series opener vs. the Red Sox, manager Dan Wilson announced on Sunday morning.
Gilbert, who reached 72 pitches and cleared five innings in his third and final rehab outing at Triple-A Tacoma, will have a longer leash given the workload that he’s already accumulated. That represented an uptick from 60 pitches over three-plus innings on June 4 and 45 pitches over 1 2/3 innings on May 29.
Gilbert will also remain on a six-day routine for now.
“I think the idea is that he can get up over the 80-pitch mark, probably,” Wilson said. “And I think that's a big advantage of getting that extra start down in Tacoma, is that you're able to make a little bit of a bigger impact here when you get back.”
Still, the Mariners are cognizant that there could be hiccups for Gilbert with command and feel for his pitches as he gets back into a rhythm, as was the case with George Kirby’s return from the IL.
“It's probably going to take a few starts, as we've seen,” Wilson said. “But getting these guys back has been huge.”
Gilbert’s return comes at a time where the Mariners are trying to dig out of the hole they’ve fallen in within the American League West standings. While they navigated his absence well early in his recovery, the club entered Sunday in a 7-14 stretch dating back to May 22, albeit on the heels of consecutive wins over the Guardians that clinched their first winning series in two weeks.
In that stretch, they’ve seen their 1 1/2-game lead atop the division turn into a 4 1/2-game deficit behind red-hot Houston.
“He just embraces work,” Wilson said of Gilbert. “ And it's not just that he works hard, he works smart. I think there's a big difference there -- and not that he doesn't work hard; he does work hard -- but he also works smart.
“He’s not afraid to try new stuff. It's all helped to keep him as healthy as possible. And then when he did come down with something this year, he was able to work through it and get back. And he's feeling really good at this point.”
Overall, Seattle’s rotation entered Sunday with a collective 4.09 ERA (which ranks 21st) over 369 2/3 innings (19th, an average of about 5 1/3 innings per start) and been worth 4.3 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs (18th). They respectively ranked first, first and fourth in those categories last season.
The Mariners have already returned Kirby (right shoulder inflammation) and seen improved results from the 2023 All-Star with each passing turn, headlined by a career-high 14 strikeouts last Sunday in Anaheim. Kirby labored a little more in his follow-up on Saturday, but only surrendered two runs over five innings.
“I think each week I'm getting better,” Kirby said after Saturday’s walk-off win. “Last week was a great sign. I was able to command really well, get a lot of swings and misses. And today, kind of just didn't have my best stuff, and I was able to bear down, kind of limit the damage -- and that's also a big thing going into each start.”
Seattle has also been without Bryce Miller, who was arguably the club’s best starter in the second half last season. Miller was placed on the IL with right elbow inflammation for the second time on Tuesday, with a recovery timeline of four to six weeks, after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection and meeting with renowned orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister, who did not recommend surgery at this time to address the bone spur in the back of his pitching elbow.
Gilbert was placed on the IL on April 26 with a right elbow flexor strain, one day after departing a start vs. the Marlins in which he was pulled after three innings upon suffering the injury. This was his first career stint on the IL, having established himself as one of MLB’s most durable starters.
At the time of his injury, Gilbert had a 2.37 ERA (150 ERA+, where league average is 100) and led all qualified starters with a 37.6% strikeout rate. The Mariners had gone 4-1 in his first five starts but lost the one in which he departed.