The Seattle Mariners' rotation is set for a major boost.
Starter Bryan Woo has been reinstated from the 15-day IL after recovering from a hamstring strain, the M's announced on Friday. He initially went on the shelf on June 25th and made one rehab appearance at High-A Everett, tossing 2.2 innings of two-run baseball.
Since making his MLB debut in 2023, Woo has been a reliable arm for the Mariners. This season, he owns a stellar 1.77 ERA in eight starts, striking out 28 in 40.2 innings while allowing just three walks. Overall, Woo has a 3.44 ERA in the big leagues.
Woo will be taking the mound on Friday evening against the Los Angeles Angels, a team he already faced in late May. The Oakland native didn't give up a run in that outing in six frames, striking out a pair of hitters in the process.
To make room for Woo, Seattle sent Eduard Buzardo down to Triple-A Tacoma. Getting Woo back is huge for the M's, who have one of the best pitching staffs in the Majors. Seattle has a 3.47 team ERA, which ranks third.
Mariners rotation leading the way
The Mariners are in first place in the American League West with a 52-43 record, sitting two games above the Houston Astros while the Texas Rangers are having a serious World Series hangover.
It's actually wild that Seattle is doing so well considering their offense is one of the worst in the bigs. The M's score only 3.9 times per contest. That ranks 27th. A huge source of runs for this ball club is the long ball, clubbing 106 home runs so far.
When it comes to the rotation, Woo was the main man before his injury. Well, in terms of his numbers at least. The most runs he's surrendered in a single start this year is three and that was only twice. Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, and George Kirby all have ERAs between three and four. Gilbert's sits just below three.
Woo is proving that he's going to be a key cog for the Mariners staff for years to come and the 24-year-old also revealed after his rehab start that he's working on a new slider, too:
“I was trying to throw (the new slider) a lot,” Woo said. “I've been throwing the two fastballs a lot this year, but I'm always trying to refine the off-speed stuff and make them a little bit more effective. But overall, really happy with how today went.”
The fastball is Woo's main offering, throwing it 53% of the time. His slider is used only 6% of the time, so it's definitely a work in progress.
The Mariners will play the Angels all weekend, concluding the four-game set on Sunday in Anaheim. Seattle has won three in a row and beat Los Angeles 11-0 in the series opener on Thursday. Before that, the M's won two straight against the San Diego Padres down at Petco Park.
Hopefully, Bryan Woo can pick up where he left off and continue to dominate as Seattle eyes the postseason.
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