Here's How Many More Minor League Rehab Starts Seattle Mariners' George Kirby Will Need

The Seattle Mariners are getting closer to seeing George Kirby back on a major league mound.

According to general manager Justin Hollander, Kirby will pitch on Saturday at Triple-A Tacoma. At that point, they'll anticipate that he'll need one more rehab outing before getting back into the big-league rotation. He's been shut down since March 7 with right shoulder inflammation.

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times opines that the earliest we could see Kirby is in the May 22-24 series at the Houston Astros.

George Kirby is scheduled to make his second rehab start for Tacoma tomorrow, and he’ll have one more after that, per Justin Hollander.

If all goes well, Kirby could he activated toward the end of the M’s next road trip. (Best guess here is he’s back in Houston, May 22-25.)
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) May 9, 2025

Kirby made his first rehab start last Sunday for the Rainiers, tossing three solid innings. He threw 42 pitches, striking out three and giving up just one run. When he returns to the rotation, it's likely that prospect Logan Evans gets sent back down to Tacoma, but that determination will be made as Kirby gets healthy.

In addition to missing Kirby, the M's are also missing Logan Gilbert, who is out with a Grade 1 flexor strain. The Mariners are reportedly hoping to get him back in the rotation by mid-June and he could throw a bullpen by the end of this six-game homestand.

An All-Star in 2023, Kirby is 35-26 lifetime with a 3.43 ERA. He went 14-11 a season ago.

Seattle enters play on Friday night at 22-14 and in first place in the American League West, leading the A's by three games. They'll start a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night at 6:38 p.m. PT.

Luis Castillo pitches against Kevin Gausman.

Related Stories on Seattle Mariners

NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," talking about how he's trying to enjoy the M's success, rather than be cynical about it. Furthermore, he discusses the issues with Bryce Miller's mechanics and has some fun talking about the "Marine Layer" podcast guys throwing out the first pitch at the Everett AquaSox game this week. And, we talk with Rob Bradford of "Baseball isn't Boring" about his recent discussion with Jerry Dipoto on the state of the M's. CLICK HERE:

HISTORIC STREAK: Randy Arozarena will enter play on Friday with a 30-game on-base streak, which is the longest streak for the M's since Teoscar Hernandez in 2023. CLICK HERE:

WHAT's UP WITH BRYCE? Bryce Miller has struggled so far this season, and we think we've found a mechanical flaw. What's our thought? CLICK HERE:

Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.