All Signs Point to Good News For Seattle Mariners' Bryan Woo

The Seattle Mariners re-called relief pitcher Cody Bolton in advance of the series opener with the Texas Rangers on Friday. While that may not seem like a huge deal - here's why it is.

Seattle Mariners reliever Cody Bolton (67) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park. / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday, the Seattle Mariners announced they re-called reliever Cody Bolton to the major league roster. In a corresponding move, they sent down pitcher Emerson Hancock to Triple-A. Hancock had started for the M's on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox.

Per @MarinersPR:

Mariners roster moves:

Cody Bolton, RHP, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
Emerson Hancock, RHP, optioned to Triple-A Tacoma (post-game 6/13).

Mariners roster moves:

🔹 Cody Bolton, RHP, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
🔹 Emerson Hancock, RHP, optioned to Triple-A Tacoma (post-game 6/13).

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) June 14, 2024

Bolton did not appear in Friday's 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers and while re-calling Bolton may not seem like a big deal, it actually is. First and foremost, Bolton gives the M's another arm in the bullpen for this pivotal series against the Rangers. The M's utilized Mike Baumann, Ryne Stanek and Andres Munoz on Friday and Munoz is likely unavailable on Saturday, so Bolton's presence can certainly help.

But even more important, this move points to Bryan Woo being healthy enough to start early next week. Woo, who underwent an MRI earlier this week on his arm, has not been placed on the injured list. If the team had plans on doing that, they would have kept Hancock with the big club to take his spot. Since they haven't done that, and both Hancock and Jhonathan Diaz (who started on Wednesday) can't be re-called for 10 days, it points to Woo getting the ball next week, which is huge news. The righty is 3-0 this season through six starts with a microscopic 1.07 ERA. He made his debut last year and helped keep the M's in the playoff race until the final weekend of the season.

The 25-year-old Bolton is 0-0 this season with a 4.41 ERA in 16.1 innings. He made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023 and has appeared in 31 total games.

The Mariners play the Rangers again on Saturday afternoon at 4:15 p.m. PT.

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