Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday that starting pitcher Bryan Woo is unlikely to pitch again in the regular season, but the team is working to make sure he’s ready for the postseason, according to MLB.com.
Woo, who left Friday’s start in Houston with a pectoral issue, will skip his scheduled start Thursday against the Colorado Rockies.
Hollander emphasized there are no plans to place the 2025 All-Star on the injured list.
“Mostly because his routine has been pretty broken up by what’s happened since he walked off the mound the other night,” Hollander said before Seattle’s series opener against Colorado. “We’re still taking it day by day.”
Woo has not thrown since exiting that outing, though he could play catch as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.
Hollander said any return to his regular throwing routine will depend entirely on how Woo feels after his first steps back.
“I don’t really know, and I’ve not allowed myself to get into beyond how he feels today,” Hollander said. “We’ll see [the], ‘how he feels tomorrow’ aspect of it, but would anticipate ramping it up as we get into the end of the week. And whether that means pitching in a game, or just throwing like a sort of a get-after-it bullpen, we’ll see. But again, he’s doing really well.”
The Mariners, who lead the American League West and could clinch the division as soon as Wednesday, also remain in position to secure the AL’s No. 2 seed.
That seeding would guarantee a first-round bye and extra rest for their rotation.
If they earn it, they wouldn’t begin postseason play until Oct. 4, giving Woo more than two weeks to recover and prepare.
“He feels like it’s already feeling much better,” Hollander said. “He’s in a really good mental place right now. He was very disappointed on Friday postgame, just with the uncertainty. He really wanted to go dominate for the entirety of the game, and he was on pace to do that. And the way he has felt the last couple of days has been very encouraging to him and us.”
As for Thursday’s start against Colorado, Hollander said the team will use pitchers already on the roster.
Emerson Hancock is one possibility. The rookie returned to Seattle’s bullpen in late August after moving to relief in Triple-A Tacoma and has made six appearances since rejoining the major league team, though none since Sept. 16.
If Hancock does take the assignment, it would not be as a traditional starter.
Hollander indicated the Mariners are preparing to cover the game with multiple pitchers.
“It’ll be a combination of people that pitch in the game, in all likelihood,” Hollander said. “We haven’t worked through that totally yet. And some of that depends on how the next two days go.”
©2025 Cox Media Group
