Mariners’ Bullpen Depth Takes Another Frustrating Hit With Carlos Vargas Setback

The Mariners’ middle innings needed fewer questions, not another injury setback.

Oct 19, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners pitcher Carlos Vargas (54) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning during game six of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported that Carlos Vargas hit a setback while ramping up his throwing program, which means he now has to start the whole progression over again. That is the kind of injury note that can look pretty harmless in isolation. Then you remember the Mariners’ bullpen is already trying to find enough clean middle innings, and suddenly it feels a lot less minor.

Vargas has been out with a right lat strain and is technically eligible to return from the 60-day injured list on May 23. But after this reset, that date feels more like something on paper than something Seattle should be counting on.

The Mariners don’t need Vargas to come back and save the bullpen. But the setback still stings. Seattle’s bullpen issue right now is about finding enough stable innings to actually get there without the middle innings turning into a group project with a fire alarm going off. 

Vargas was not perfect in 2025, but he was useful in a way teams usually appreciate more once it disappears. He appeared in 70 games, threw 77 innings, posted a 3.97 ERA, and gave the Mariners a hard-throwing, ground-ball-heavy reliever who could absorb real work. It’s not the flashiest résumé in the world, but it is the kind of bullpen role that keeps a staff from getting bent out of shape. Right now, the Mariners could use a little boring. 

A special one for Carlos Vargas 🙌 pic.twitter.com/eBbGHDLFAQ

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 7, 2025

Mariners Lose Another Bullpen Safety Net With Carlos Vargas Setback

The thing about bullpen depth is that it rarely looks urgent until it suddenly becomes the whole game. Everyone loves talking about the closer and the setup man. But over a long season, the bullpen is held together by the relievers who take the ball when the game is still messy. The ones who handle the sixth when the starter runs out of gas. 

That was Vargas’ value. Now the Mariners are without that safety net for longer than expected. That matters even more with Matt Brash on the injured list because of right lat inflammation and Josh Simpson recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to help cover the middle-relief picture. Brash’s situation may not be full-blown panic material, but it still removes another important piece from a bullpen that already felt like it was one bad break away from getting uncomfortable. Vargas’ setback does not exist in isolation. It adds to the pile.

The Mariners can still piece this together. Their pitching infrastructure has earned some trust, and bullpens are living things. But this is still a real hit. Vargas’ delayed return takes away one of the more practical internal solutions the Mariners were probably counting on. It makes every Simpson outing a little more meaningful and every Brash update a little more important. When a bullpen is already looking for answers, losing one of the arms built to handle the unglamorous work can hurt more than it looks.