Mariners right-hander George Kirby is scheduled to return to Seattle and throw a bullpen session at T-Mobile Park this week, a step forward in his rehab from right shoulder inflammation that landed him on the injured list to start the season.
If Kirby’s throwing session goes well this week, his next step would be to throw a live batting practice at T-Mobile Park during the Mariners’ upcoming homestand, according to a source with knowledge of the club’s plans.
Kirby was shut down in early March after he began to feel soreness in his shoulder. The Mariners have been conservative with his recovery, giving him extra time to gradually rebuild strength in his arm during throwing sessions at the team’s facility in Arizona.
Kirby, 27, was one of baseball’s most durable pitchers over the past three seasons, with 89 starts and a 3.43 ERA since making his debut in 2022.
In 2024, he tied for the league lead with 33 starts and threw a career-high 191 innings.
In Kirby’s place, the Mariners have used Emerson Hancock for two starts and Luis F. Castillo for two starts.
Hancock bounced back from a rough first start to throw five solid strong innings Thursday in Cincinnati, where he allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts, retiring 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.
Hancock is in line to start Wednesday in Boston.
Moore named AL player of the week
Mariners utility player Dylan Moore was named the American League Player of the Week on Monday. It’s the first such honor of his career.
In six games last week, the 32-year-old utility man was 10 for 26 (. 385) with six runs, one double, three home runs, five RBI and three stolen bases, getting on base at a .407 clip, slugging .769 with a 1.177 OPS.