The Seattle Mariners injury woes seemed to be left in 2024 for most of spring training. That was before news broke on March 7 that starting pitcher George Kirby was week-to-week with right shoulder inflammation.
The news came with the information that he would likely begin the season on the injured list and could miss up to two weeks.
Kirby wanted to pitch through the inflammation, but Mariners officials elected to shut him down and wouldn’t reactivate him until the inflammation was gone. It’s the first lengthy injury of Kirby’s four-year career.
Seattle manager Dan Wilson provided an update on Kirby in a news conference Thursday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex.
“It is as to be expected,” Wilson said. “A couple days after the injection to be able to just kind of cool off a little and let (the shoulder) cool down. And I think they’re in the process of putting a game plan together and should learn more in a few days. Obviously this is a very difficult time for a competitor like George. Anytime you have to sit and wait, it becomes very difficult. But we all want to get George out there as quickly as possible. And we will be able to do that once we get a good plan in place.”
Wilson’s statements seems to indicate the Mariners are still in the evaluation process for Kirby. But the team seems to have a better idea of a timeline for his return, per Wilson’s comments of “putting a game plan together.”
Kirby has been one of the best command pitchers in the league for three seasons. He had a 3.53 ERA across 33 starts in 2024 with 179 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched.
Having Kirby out for any stretch of time is a negative for Seattle. But the 2023 All-Star’s recovery is progressing.
