Mariners right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller May not be available early in the season. According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Miller felt some soreness in his left side today and did not finish his bullpen session. “He’s definitely behind,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. “That’s the type of injury where it seems prudent not to push him too quickly. Obviously, we’re not going to make any decisions until we have to.”
Miller suffered from left side pain that slowed his performance about two weeks ago. An MRI showed some inflammation and he was given a platelet-rich plasma injection. His planned bullpen session today was part of a workout that would see him stretch out to start the season. This setback appears to be putting it in jeopardy. He’s still going to be playing catch and doing other activities, so he’s not completely shut out, but the Mariners will want the pain to go away before he’s completely blown out of the mound again.
This may not seem like a big deal, but it could be an early test of Seattle’s rotation depth. The Mariners have a strong starting lineup when everyone is healthy, as they have in the past. logan gilbert, george kirby, Brian Wu, Luis Castillo And Miller. Once you get deeper, things get a little more suspicious. divisive remarks Cooper Criswell and Emerson Hancock That’s because the two will most likely step up if Miller misses time.
Criswell’s best season to date came in 2024 with the Red Sox. He pitched 99 1/3 innings in a swing role, allowing 4.08 earned runs per nine. His 17.2% strikeout rate was subpar, but he walked just 7.3% of his opponents’ balls and grounded out on 50.3% of his balls in play. In 2025, the Sox added some weapons and Criswell was mostly blocked, making just seven big league appearances. He performed well in Triple-A, with a 3.70 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, and 49.4% ground ball rate in 65.2 innings.
Despite decent numbers, Criswell has exhausted his last options in 2025, putting him on the fringe list. The Sox signed him to a 2026 contract with an annual salary of $800K, slightly above the league minimum of $780K, even though he is not yet arbitration-eligible. The plan seemed to be to get him through waivers so he could serve as Triple-A depth even if he had no choice. That plan didn’t work, as the Mets claimed him off waivers in December. When the Mets pushed him off the roster, Seattle sent some cash to Queens to get him out of DFA limbo.
Criswell’s numbers are decent, but there are some risks. His speed never reached 90 miles per hour, making him the soft tosser of this era. He could have taken people out regardless, but it’s a fine line to walk.
Hancock is a former 6th overall pick, but his big league performance hasn’t quite reached that level yet. Over the past three years, he has posted a 4.81 ERA, 15.6% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 40.1% ground ball rate in 162 2/3 innings for the M’s.
One thing that could work in Criswell’s favor is that Hancock still has options, so he could be sent to Triple-A and hang on. Criswell has no options so he has to be either in the rotation or the bullpen. Criswell’s spot in the rotation would help alleviate some of the pressure on the bullpen. All of Seattle’s eight expected relief forces are not options except: matte brush and Jose A. FerrerHe’s too good of a person to let go.
If Hancock and Criswell both make it to the big leagues. Blas Castano He will be the only depth starter available in the Triple-A rotation. He has only one major league appearance on his record and posted a 5.19 ERA in Triple-A last year. The Mariners Dane Dunning, Jonathan Diaz, Randy Dobnak and Casey Lawrence He enters camp as a non-roster invitee with no big league experience.
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