The Seattle Mariners have activated right-handed reliever Matt Brash from the injured list, clearing the way for him to make his first big-league appearance since Sept. 2023 — and, more pertinently, since undergoing Tommy John surgery and having an internal brace installed last spring. In a corresponding move, the Mariners demoted reliever Troy Taylor.
Brash, who will turn 27 in just over a week’s time, had emerged as a quality high-leverage reliever prior to suffering the injury. In 78 appearances in 2023, he amassed a 3.06 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 3.69 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He struck out 34.7% of the batters he faced, the ninth highest rate that season among any pitcher with at least 50 innings thrown in the big leagues.
Brash had appeared in six games at the Triple-A level as part of a rehab assignment. His overall marks weren’t particularly good (he allowed five earned runs on nine hits and two walks), but he still generated a 40% whiff rate on his signature slider. Brash’s fastball velocity, meanwhile, checked in at 96.8 mph. For reference, he averaged 98.1 mph back in 2023.
Brash’s return is another positive development for a Mariners team that entered Saturday in first place in the American League West with a 19-12 record. The Mariners have rattled off five consecutive wins, including a 13-1 shellacking over the Texas Rangers on Friday. Seattle’s success this season has come even with a number of key contributors sidelined by injury. The Mariners remain without starters Logan Gilbert and George Kirby; infielders Ryan Bliss and Dylan Moore; and outfielders Victor Robles and Luke Raley.
Nevertheless, the Mariners rank 12th in staff ERA and second in FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric, a catch-all offensive measure that adjusts for ballpark.
