Bryan Woo Discusses His Health Status Following Thursday's Throwing Session
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One of the main questions surrounding the AL West champion Seattle Mariners right now is the health status of starting pitcher Bryan Woo. The 15-game winner missed his final start of the regular season due to inflammation in his pectoral muscle. While he hasn't been placed on the Injured List, he's been held out of normal workout activities. That's pushed his eventual playoff start back a bit.
The 25-year-old ace had a throwing session on Thursday, and despite his being unavailable right away, he sounded optimistic about a full recovery soon. Woo did not face live hitting in the session, but says that he felt better about where his status is right now.
“I'm not going to put any assumptions out yet,” Woo said. “I'm just kind of, like I said, just trying to take it day by day. I’m still not where I want to be in terms of game speed of everything. But in terms of how everything has progressed, I’m happy with it. Considering that a week ago, I wasn’t even throwing yet -- and then a week from now, hopefully we’ll be in a better spot.”
In terms of my job, it's just control what I can control every day,” Woo stated. “I'll do my stuff from when I get to the field early and get everything done before the game starts. And then, I have all the faith in the world with all of our pitchers -- starters, relievers, whoever it is -- that they're more than capable of doing the job like they have been all year. And especially come playoff time, everybody just seems to take a little bit of the next step up.”
Mariners are Managing through Woo's Absence
The Mariners' management has been steadfast that Woo will not be used out of the bullpen, and if he's not available, they have some options. Most notably, versatile right-hander Bryce Miller, who was originally planned to be in a long relief role. If push comes to shove, he could absorb a start for Seattle.
“It won't be necessarily geared toward who's your No. 1 starter,” Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto said earlier this week. “But who do we feel is most rested, best-positioned, and where does Bryan slot in?”
“You take everything into consideration," manager Dan Wilson stated. "It includes thinking about what the playoff roster might look like as well. [There are] lots of different factors to take into account. And I think that is an advantage to having this week is to kind of see how things play out with opponents, with where you are as a club, all the different things that come into play.”
