Seattle Mariners Rookie Emerson Hancock Returns to Mound Following Shoulder Injury
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock threw a bullpen session Wednesday, the team shared in a video on social media.
Pitchers and catchers don't officially report to Mariners Spring Training until Thursday, but Hancock was one of several players getting some work in a day early.
The 24-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut on Aug. 9, 2023. He suffered a shoulder injury in his third start, however, and he was ultimately sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Hancock wasn't diagnosed with a tear or any structural damage at the time, and it appears as if he was able to largely recover from his Grade 1-plus shoulder strain during the offseason.
The Mariners picked Hancock No. 6 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Georgia. He debuted as the No. 3 prospect in Seattle's system in 2021, and he has remained in their top five ever since.
Hancock even pitched a scoreless inning at the 2022 All-Star Futures Game, striking out the side against some of the best young players in baseball.
Over the course of three seasons in the minors, Hancock is 21-10 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.183 WHIP and 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.
Hancock put up a 4.50 ERA, 1.333 WHIP and 4.5 strikeouts per nine innings in his first three MLB outings, but the Mariners still managed to go 3-0 in those games. Most of his lackluster stats can be attributed to the five runs he allowed in the fifth inning of Seattle's showdown with the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 15. Outside of that one blemish, Hancock boasted a 0.82 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in his other 11.0 innings of MLB action.
The Mariners already have enough arms to field a reliable five-man rotation without Hancock, led by perennial Cy Young contender Luis Castillo. Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo are all homegrown, younger than 27 years old and made 18 or more starts in 2023.
Hancock should be able to carve out a role for himself sooner rather than later, though, and getting his shoulder back to full strength is step one in that process.
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