Seattle Mariners Manager Expands on Right-Handed Pitcher's New Role
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SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are in the final stretch of the regular season, and it's all hands on deck as the club attempts to make its second postseason berth in four seasons.
The Mariners added to their bullpen by recalling right-handed pitcher Emerson Hancock from the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday. Hancock, who was selected sixth overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Georgia, has been the team's "No. 6" starting pitcher since he made his major league debut in 2023. He posted a 5.47 ERA with a career-high 53 strikeouts in 77.1 innings pitched across 15 starts this season. His innings pitched and starts were also career-highs.
Emerson Hancock, Painted Front Door 94mph Sinker. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/in7SqXht8M
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 30, 2025
Hancock was optioned to Tacoma on July 2. His last two outings with the Triple-A club have been out of the bullpen. He fanned two, walked one and allowed one earned run on two hits in his pair of relief appearances. His velocity topped out at 99.1 mph, which is the fastest pitch recorded for Hancock in his pro career.
Emerson Hancock topped out at 99.1 mph in his perfect inning of relief today. pic.twitter.com/AaODESdNBO
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 24, 2025
Seattle doesn't have a set plan for whether Hancock will be a high-, medium- or low-leverage arm out of the bullpen, but the team is prepared to give the third-year hurler a look in various situations.
"I think it's gonna be as we go and as it shapes up," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Wednesday. "It's not a mapped out thing. This is the time of year where we got to use all the available arms that we have, and the ones that we're gonna put out there are gonna be more determined by the game and where we're at. Having his arm down there and what he's been able to do out of the bullpen, looking forward to having him."
Having Hancock in the bullpen could provide a big boost to Seattle, especially if he's able to tap into that upper-90s velocity consistently. As a starter, Hancock's fastball averaged out at 94.6 mph, which ranks in the 54th percentile of baseball, according to Baseball Savant. If Hancock is unburdened with the concern of having to stretch his arm out across five-to-six innings, that high velocity can become the norm for the former Bulldog.
Hancock's experience as a starter could also lend itself to longer relief appearances if the M's find themselves in a pinch.
"His ability to go out there and just let it rip has been proven," Wilson said. "Some guys respond really well to that. So it'll be interesting to see how this transition continues for him. Maybe this is a future role, who knows."
Hancock could get his first major league look out of the bullpen in the series finale between Seattle and the San Diego Padres at 1:10 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
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