The Seattle Mariners announced on May 1 that pitcher Matt Brash has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right lat. The move is retroactive to Thursday, making May 15 the earliest possible date for his return. Left-handed pitcher Josh Simpson was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma as a corresponding roster move.
Brash will refrain from throwing for three to five days before beginning a build-up process. He left Wednesday’s game in Minnesota after just two pitches and later said that discomfort had been present for several days but was not initially severe enough to raise concern. “It just kind of creeped up on me in the bullpen before I came in,” Brash said, “and then I got in the game hoping that my adrenaline would take over a little bit and kind of get through it. And I just kind of knew right away.”
An MRI showed no structural damage, which Mariners general manager Justin Hollander described as “probably the best news we could have possibly hoped for” because “it’s nothing significant.” Hollander also said, “We will continue to be conservative,” reflecting the team’s cautious approach since this is Brash’s first full season back from Tommy John surgery.
Simpson joins manager Dan Wilson’s bullpen as the third left-handed reliever after being acquired from Miami earlier this year. He has allowed one run over 9 1/3 innings at Tacoma with twelve strikeouts and six walks.
Hollander also provided updates on other injured players during what he called a typical state-of-the-injured-list address at homestand openers. Third baseman Brendan Donovan will begin a two-game rehab assignment at Double-A Arkansas instead of returning during Seattle’s current homestand; if successful, he could be activated by May 8 in Chicago. Right-hander Bryce Miller is set for another rehab start at High-A Everett targeting around seventy pitches, while outfielder Victor Robles will start his own rehab stint Sunday at Tacoma following an extended absence due to injury.
In addition, reliever Carlos Vargas experienced a mild setback during his throwing program but remains on track for a late-May return after being transferred to the sixty-day injured list earlier last month. Infielder Miles Mastrobuoni is aiming to resume minor league rehabilitation activities within three weeks after recovering from an additional calf strain.
