Bryce Miller is expected to rejoin the Seattle Mariners as soon as this weekend in Seattle, though he will not be activated from the 15-day injured list yet, according to an April 13 update.
Miller has been recovering from left oblique inflammation and will travel from Arizona to Seattle so the Mariners’ athletic training staff can assess his progress. These meetings typically come before a Minor League rehab assignment, suggesting that Miller could soon return to play. His rehab stint is expected to include multiple starts at either Triple-A Tacoma or High-A Everett, depending on scheduling and travel considerations.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Miller’s recent bullpen session “went very well” and that “he’ll get some more work in while we’re in San Diego,” referencing the team’s upcoming series at Petco Park. Wilson added, “hopefully at some point, in the next homestand, he’ll probably be up here and we’ll assess from there.”
Miller has dealt with his injury since his first Cactus League start on February 26. Although he showed improvement by the end of spring training, he did not have enough workload built up for Opening Day consideration. In Miller’s absence, Emerson Hancock has started three games with a 2.04 ERA over 17 2/3 innings and has struck out 19 batters while walking three.
The team also provided an update on right fielder Victor Robles, who is recovering from a right pectoral strain suffered during outfield drills last week. Wilson said Robles has begun light baseball activity but emphasized caution: “Because it’s his throwing arm, it’s something you have to be careful with,” Wilson said. “And so we’re just taking it slowly.” He continued: “I don’t know how definite the timeline is at this point… It’s going to be the throwing that’s going to be the part that comes the slowest.”
