Drew Smyly Injury Update: Seattle Mariners Pitcher Takes Mound, One Step Closer To Mariners Debut


A Drew Smyly injury update has finally come from the Seattle Mariners. Smyly, who the Mariners acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays during the MLB offseason, has yet to appear in a regular season game for his new team. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Mariners gave up a lot in the trade for Smyly. The deal involved sending pitching prospects Luiz Gohara and Thomas Burrows to the Atlanta Braves for highly touted outfield prospects Mallex Smith and then flipping Smith to the Rays for Smyly.

What Happened To Drew Smyly?

After performing well for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Drew Smyly reported to the Seattle Mariners during Spring Training. He almost immediately came down with a “soggy arm” that wasn’t responding well to treatment. As a report by The News Tribune states, Smyly was diagnosed with a strained flexor bundle in his elbow. He has been on the disabled list since that point, sticking to a long rehab process in order to play for the Mariners at some point during the 2017 MLB season.

Things looked good when Smyly threw a handful of pitches from the lower part of the bullpen mound on Thursday (June 8). It was a huge step, with Smyly proving that he could start pitching again without experiencing any pain in his elbow. Now Smyly will take the next step with the Mariners’ training staff and participate in a bullpen session on Saturday (June 10).

Drew Smyly Rehab Schedule

With this new Drew Smyly injury update, there is also a schedule provided for when the Seattle Mariners might finally be able to showcase him at Safeco Field. Smyly has to go through two or three bullpen workouts and a session or two of throwing live batting practice, and then he has to complete a simulated game. If everything goes smoothly in his rehab, then Smyly will get sent out on a minor-league assignment to make several starts at the lower levels.

The Mariners are taking a careful approach with Smyly to make sure that his injury doesn’t get any worse. He could be an important piece to the starting rotation in the second half of the regular season, especially since he should be very well-rested once he finally takes the mound.

What Is Drew Smyly’s TimeTable For Return To Seattle Mariners

If everything goes well during his drills and rehab and then minor league starts, Drew Smyly could return to the Seattle Mariners right around the All-Star break. That could be a huge addition to the Mariners in the middle of July, giving the team some much-needed depth in the starting rotation that could become huge in a race for one of the two Wild Card spots.

Smyly is still just 27 years old and has another arbitration year before he enters free agency. In 156 career games (85 starts), Smyly has a 31-27 record, a 3.74 ERA, and a 1.199 WHIP over his five-year career. During that time, he spent time with the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays, where he showed that he could keep people off the bases and overpower hitters with his stuff.

Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais commented on the progress that Drew Smyly has been making and what he thought about the mound work that took place on Thursday.

“Once you get on a mound and get a bullpen under you, you can get a little more defined in what the program is going to be. Start mapping out bullpens and live BPs and rehabs and all of that other stuff.”

Now it’s on to the next step in this elongated rehab process for Smyly, who will continue to collect his $6.5 million paycheck this season. He knows how important it is to come back and finish the season strong, though, as his next arbitration salary could depend on just two months’ worth of performances. Fans can finally start getting excited about this latest Drew Smyly injury update because it gives some good information and a positive outlook for when he might pitch for the Seattle Mariners.

[Featured Image by Denis Poroy/Getty Images]

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