Seattle Mariners Reliever May Have Just Seen Time in Organization Come to End

Trent Thornton just tore his Achilles tendon and his career is at a crossroads.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Trent Thornton (46) holds his ankle after falling down during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park on July 31. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

According to a report on Tuesday from Seattle Mariners reporter Ryan Divish, M's reliever Trent Thornton just underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon, and he will be out for 6-8 months.

Trent Thornton underwent surgery to repair his Achilles on Monday. He will be out 6-8 months

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) August 5, 2025

Thornton was injured in Thursday's win against the Texas Rangers and this injury has a ripple effect in multiple directions.

Impact on Mariners

Though Thornton's overall numbers aren't necessarily pretty this season (2-0, 4.68 ERA, 1.30 WHIP), he had been much better of late, registering scoreless appearances in four of his last five outings.

In his absence, the M's called up Jackson Kowar, but he doesn't have the same track record as Thornton. Considering Kowar slots into lower-leverage spots in the bullpen, it bumps others up to Thornton's mid-level role, and there are now less certainties in those spots as well.

Because the trade deadline has passed, the M's don't really have many opportunities to add help in Thornton's absence. There are waiver claims, and the team has Gregory Santos working back from injury, but those are hardly givens either.

Impact on Thornton

Thornton is making $2 million this season through the arbitration process, and he's slated for one more run through the process this offseason. Given that he'll see a raise to at least $3 million in all likelihood, it's unclear if the Mariners will want to keep him, or if they'll non-tender him to save money.

I am really hoping this is not an Achilles injury for Mariners pitcher Trent Thornton oh man 😬 pic.twitter.com/HkSFAMT4Bn

— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) August 1, 2025

If the six-to-eight month timeline holds true, then Thornton could be back sometime between January and March, meaning Seattle could still get much of 2026 out of him, but at that money, and with questions about he'll recover, it's possible that he's thrown his last pitches in a Mariners uniform.

The Mariners are 61-53 and will take on the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. PT.

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