The Mariners are placing right-hander Emerson Hancock on the 15-day injured list, according to a team announcement. Hancock, whose placement is retroactive to August 29th, has a left adductor strain. Fellow righty Nick Davila is being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move.
Hancock drew the loss in Friday’s game against the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old surrendered eight hits, including two home runs, in a five-inning effort while striking out just one batter. In the first inning, Hancock fielded a ground ball up the first base line and made a diving tag to retire Nathan Lukes (video courtesy of MLB.com). The righty shook his head while getting up, which prompted manager Dan Wilson and the team trainer to check on Hancock on the mound. He remained in the game after a few warmup pitches but now heads to the IL.
Evidently, Hancock injured his adductor on the play, and the Mariners felt the strain was severe enough to warrant a period of rest. While he is out, the team could shift Bryce Miller back into the rotation. It was reported two days ago that the team was moving the struggling Miller to the bullpen temporarily, though he has not yet made an appearance in that role. According to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer, Miller is considered an option to start on Wednesday in Boston. He’ll have had nine days of rest at that point.
Hancock has put it together this year after replacement-level production from 2024-25. In 138 2/3 innings over 25 starts, he has a strong 3.57 ERA. Hancock is walking a career-low 5.7% of opposing hitters, and his 22.3% strikeout rate is above league average for the first time in his career. He is still somewhat homer-prone, having allowed 20 long balls on the season. Nonetheless, the righty’s 3.98 expected ERA and 3.81 SIERA back up his performance and suggest the former first-round draft pick is at last rounding into form at the big league level.
The Mariners have certainly benefited from Hancock’s step forward, plus the solid efforts turned in by Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryan Woo. Each of the latter three has thrown over 140 innings and earned at least 2.5 fWAR while posting above-average strikeout rates, walk rates, or both. Miller, despite giving up 20 earned runs in his last four starts, still has a decent 4.12 ERA and 3.73 SIERA in 94 innings. With rookie Kade Anderson now rounding out the group, Seattle’s rotation would be a clear strength if the team manages to make the postseason.
Of course, that’s if the Mariners manage to overcome their 64-72 record and their current deficit in the AL Wild Card standings. FanGraphs still gives them a 30.5% chance of playing in October, but the team will still need to hit better to have a shot at overtaking the Guardians, Orioles, Blue Jays, and division-rival Rangers.
Seattle has gone 8-13 since the start of a six-game losing streak on August 6th, during which time the team has a 92 wRC+, which ranks 18th in the Majors. Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor, and Randy Arozarena have been hot in that span, but Julio Rodriguez (60 wRC+) and Cole Young (32 wRC+) have struggled badly. The team was 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot as of the 6th, but that has since increased to a four-game deficit.
To be fair, the rotation isn’t exempt from blame in the recent slide, as the starters collectively have a fifth-worst 5.29 ERA since August 6th. That said, the rotation has been a Top-10 unit over the full season, so there’s a bit more confidence in the starters turning things around. The offense has a 99 wRC+ overall, ranking 16th in the Majors, and Raleigh in particular has put up below-average numbers this year.
Turning to Davila, the 27-year-old reliever gets called up for the fourth time this season. He’s worked 26 1/3 innings out of the bullpen, posting a stellar 51.2% ground ball rate but a meager 11.7% strikeout rate. Davila has mid-90s velocity on his four-seamer and sinker, but he uses his slider two-thirds of the time. Statcast gives the pitch +4 Run Value, while opposing hitters are teeing off on the four-seamer to the tune of an .833 slugging percentage.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)
