The Mariners placed setup man Matt Brash on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 30, before tonight’s series opener against the Royals. He’s dealing with lat inflammation. Seattle recalled lefty Josh Simpson from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move.
Brash made an early exit from Wednesday’s game in Minnesota. He threw two pitches before reporting side tightness that led the Mariners to lift him. General manager Justin Hollander told reporters (including Daniel Kramer of MLB.com) that Brash will be shut down for three to five days. He’ll resume throwing early next week and doesn’t seem to be in for a lengthy absence. There’s nothing structurally off.
The seemingly minor injury halts an excellent start to the season for Brash. He has allowed just one unearned run through his first 11 1/3 innings. Although Brash hasn’t had huge swinging strike or ground-ball numbers, he’s second on the team with four holds and has pitched in the highest-leverage situations aside from closer Andrés Muñoz.
Seattle’s bullpen is out to a strong start. Their 3.31 earned run average trails only that of the Rangers and Giants. They’re middle of the pack in strikeouts while ranking ninth in whiff rate. Muñoz has had a couple uncharacteristically poor outings (most notably against the Padres on April 15) but is typically one of the best closers in the game. Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo and offseason trade pickup Jose A. Ferrer have pitched well.
Simpson would be lined up for his team debut if he makes it into a game. Seattle acquired him from the Marlins over the offseason. The 28-year-old has fanned 12 over 9 1/3 innings of one-run ball with Tacoma, albeit with six walks. He posted a 7.34 ERA across 31 appearances as a rookie with Miami last season.
In other M’s news, Victor Robles will join Tacoma to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday (relayed by Adam Jude of The Seattle Times). He has been out since April 7 with a pectoral strain. Robles had a slow start over his first five games after a disappointing 2025 season in which he missed most of the year with a dislocated left shoulder.
Luke Raley and Rob Refsnyder have platooned in right field in Robles’ absence. Raley homered in each of the first three games of the season and went on a brief tear in the middle of April. He’s now mired in a 1-27 slump over his last 12 games. Refsnyder has limped to a .135/.214/.297 start through 17 games. Connor Joe gets the nod tonight against K.C. southpaw Cole Ragans.
