Mariners RHP George Kirby (shoulder) expected to begin season on IL

Seattle Mariners right-handed pitcher George Kirby is expected to begin the regular season on the 15-day injured list due to shoulder inflammation.

General manager Justin Hollander discussed the situation with the media on Friday.

"George Kirby has not been feeling great after his outings," Hollander said. "In the outings, he's throwing the ball well -- same velocity as you would expect. He just hasn't felt like he's bouncing back great. We did an MRI -- MRI looks great. No structural concerns whatsoever, and I will repeat that: zero structural concerns.

"There is some inflammation in there that we need to get out, so much to George's chagrin, we are going to take the ball out of his hands ... This is more like a week-to-week thing than a day-to-day thing. We just want to make sure we're doing the right thing for the big picture of the whole season as opposed to worrying about Opening Day."

Since being called up in 2022, Kirby has played three seasons for Seattle.

In 2023, he secured his first All-Star nod, posting a 3.35 ERA and 1.038 WHIP along with 172 strikeouts in 31 starts.

Last season, he continued his elite play, recording a 3.53 ERA and 1.068 WHIP, while striking out a career-high 179 batters. His 33 starts were tied for the highest mark in MLB.

Kirby was selected by the Mariners in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

--Field Level Media