Seattle Mariners reliever Matt Brash underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, according to MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told reporters that Brash also had a brace procedure, and that they're hopeful he'll return to the big-league roster by June 2025 -- generally, teams give their pitchers between 12-14 months to make a full recovery.
Brash, 26 in a matter of days, has not pitched this season. He first began to feel elbow soreness following spring bullpen sessions. At the time, the Mariners were hopeful that he would avoid surgery. Hollander did, however, express concern about how Brash's arm was "bouncing back," meaning how he felt after his throwing sessions.
"He threw and did not feel good at all," Hollander said. "I think his words were 'Every throw felt bad.' We met with our physician last night and we are concerned."
Brash has solidified himself as a quality reliever the last two seasons thanks to well-above-average stuff. In 117 career outings, all but five of them in relief, he's accumulated a 3.63 ERA (108 ERA+) and a 2.73 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last season, he ranked third among Mariners regulars in leverage index, a fancy way of saying that he was often assigned to important moments in games.
Without Brash, the Mariners have surrounded closer Andrés Muñoz with a setup man combination that includes Ryne Stanek and Gabe Speier. Seattle's bullpen has the third-lowest ERA among relief units, trailing only the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians.
The Mariners entered Friday with a 20-18 record on the year, good for second place in the American League West, 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers. The Mariners will begin a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
