Brady's Spin: What Comes Next For George Kirby is of Utmost Importance to Seattle Mariners

Kirby, who has been out all season as he recovers from shoulder inflammation, made his first rehab appearance on Sunday for Triple-A Tacoma. His results looked good, but what happens next is the most important thing to see.

Seattle Mariners pitcher George Kirby (68) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Minute Maid Park in 2024. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby made his first appearance on a game mound since late February on Sunday afternoon, pitching three innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Tacoma.

Hitting as high as 97.8 MPH, Kirby gave up just one run on one hit. He walked none and struck out four. By all accounts, Kirby looked excellent, throwing 33 of 42 pitches for strikes.

Furthermore, the fact that Kirby (shoulder inflammation) threw 42 pitches is encouraging, and it leads you to believe that he could be back in Seattle after just 1-2 more rehab starts.

However, what happens next is now the most important thing for Kirby and the M's.

How does he recover? Since we've learned through our conversation with injury expert Will Carroll that shoulder inflammation doesn't necessarily come back until you hit max velocity, it will be important to see how Kirby responds in the first few days after his start.

Getting back out on the mound and being able to hit high velocity is an important first step, but how does his shoulder feel when he goes to throw his side session later this week? How does it feel when he attempts to get back on the mound for his next rehab start? Is he able to still hit in the upper-90s?

If he is, then the Mariners can start dreaming of a world where they get back one of the best pitchers in baseball. If not, the M's will continue to have a worrisome spot in their rotation.

We discussed this at greater length on the most recent Refuse to Lose podcast, which you can listen to below:

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THE LATEST ON RANDY: Randy Arozarena left Sunday's game early with a possible injury. What's the latest? CLICK HERE:

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