Inside The Mariners

Seattle Mariners Ace Logan Gilbert Throwing in Pregame Warmups

The 2024 All-Star was casually throwing before a game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert throws during a game against the Miami Marlins on April 25 at T-Mobile Park.
Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert throws during a game against the Miami Marlins on April 25 at T-Mobile Park. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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The ace of the Seattle Mariners starting rotation could be closer to a return than originally expected.

Logan Gilbert was placed on the 15-day injured list April 26 one day after he was pulled early from a start against the Miami Marlins. The initial diagnosis was a Grade 1 right elbow flexor strain. The timeline for Gilbert had him shut down from throwing for two weeks before being reassessed for a throwing and rehab program.

Per a video posted on "X" from Seattle Sports' Shannon Drayer, Gilbert might be a little ahead of schedule. He was throwing warm-up pitches before a game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

There wasn't a concrete date provided on Gilbert's return, but a June or July return was expected if there were no further setbacks in his injury.

Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto went on MLB Network on Friday and said that Gilbert's injury wasn't as serious as the team initially thought. He followed that up by saying both Gilbert and fellow starting pitcher George Kirby could both return by the end of May. Kirby is set to begin his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on Sunday.

It's only warm up throws, but the fact that Gilbert is already tossing a baseball ahead of the initial two-week shutdown timeline is a good sign that Dipoto's comments could come to fruition.

Gilbert had a 2.37 ERA this season with 44 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched across six starts before being shut down. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2024. Gilbert had a 3.23 ERA and fanned 220 batters across 208.2 innings pitched in 33 starts that year.

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