Fastball

Seattle Mariners' Rotation Stalwart Undergoes MRI on Bothersome Knee

After leaving his start early on Friday night, Seattle Mariners' young ace George Kirby underwent an MRI on Friday because of a bulky knee. Despite the report, the team still expects him to make his next start.

Brady Farkas

Apr 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68)
Apr 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68) / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
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Seattle Mariners' starter George Kirby, who has turned into one of the best young pitchers in all of baseball, underwent an MRI on Saturday on his bulky knee.

Despite the nature of the report, the team still expects him to make his next start.

Per MLB.com:

One day after the issue resurfaced during a dominant start against the Astros at Minute Maid Park, Kirby had imaging done in Houston, "just to make sure we're treating it the right way and whatnot," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. The club, however, is still awaiting the results. Kirby's next scheduled turn would be on Wednesday vs. the Twins at Target Field.

"His arm feels good," Servais said. "There are no issues there. I would expect he'd make his next turn.

That's obviously good news from Servais, but it's troublesome to see a top starter ever dealing with everything, especially one as dynamic as Kirby.

The 26-year-old Kirby is 3-2 this season with a 3.76 ERA but just turned in a 12-strikeout performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks and a one-run performance against the Astros in consecutive starts.

He made his Major League debut in 2022 and is 24-17 lifetime with a 3.41 ERA. He was named an All-Star in 2023 and has the best control of any starter in modern baseball history (true).

The Mariners are currently 18-15 on the season and will take on the Astros again on Saturday afternoon with first pitch coming at 2:10 p.m. ET.

Bryce Miller will pitch for Seattle in that one.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.