Seattle Mariners' George Kirby Gets More of Injury Recovery Plan Revealed
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We already knew that Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby was destined to start the year on the injured list because of right shoulder inflammation.
The question is, 'how long will he stay there?' Everything with regards to Kirby became a little more clear on Tuesday, thanks to some reporting from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
Divish says that Kirby hopes to begin a throwing program in the coming days, but he has been doing arm strengthening exercises to this point. He will also stay back in Arizona when the team heads north for Opening Day.
He will remain in Arizona once his teammates head north to continue his rehab and recovery. The Mariners spring training complex offers a better setup for players working their way back to being game ready, including extended spring training games.
But staying in Arizona for three more weeks after six weeks of spring training isn’t ideal either.
“I’m hoping to get back up there by the middle of April,” Kirby said.
Only time will tell if that's possible, but Kirby seems destined to miss at least the first half of April, which would amount to at least three starts or so. Given the length of the season and how important he is to the rotation, it wouldn't be surprising to see the M's hold Kirby back a few more starts, so maybe late April is more realistic, assuming things continue to go well.
An All-Star in 2023, Kirby is 35-26 lifetime with a 3.43 ERA. He went 14-11 a season ago, but features some of the best stuff in baseball.
The Mariners open the season at home on March 27 against the Athletics. Emerson Hancock is the presumptive leader to take Kirby's place.
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