Bryce Miller is set to begin a rehab assignment after recovering from a left oblique injury. The Mariners are monitoring his performance closely as he prepares to return to the big leagues.
Key points
Bryce Miller is starting a rehab assignment after an oblique injury.
He hasn't pitched since February 26 due to the injury.
Miller will pitch on an every-sixth-day schedule during rehab.
Mariners are monitoring his recovery and performance closely.
Emerson Hancock has been effective in Miller's absence.
Bryce MillerSeattle MarinersEmerson Hancock
Feb 26, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller (50) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller (50) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
A familiar face was back at T-Mobile Park on Friday.
āHello, hi, yes, itās me, Iām back. Yes, hi, hello,ā said Bryce Miller in his familiar Texas accent as he ambled down the clubhouse hallway, greeting the assembled media like a visiting dignitary in a receiving line.
Itās been a long layoff for Miller, who hasnāt pitched since February 26th, when he made his first start of spring and then promptly went on the IL with a left oblique injury. The injury is unrelated to the right elbow injury that kept Miller out at times for last year, but itās not less frustrating for the amiable Miller, who ā as is typical ā joked about his injury in a media availability prior to Fridayās game.
āI was on a 27 year streak without an oblique injury, so if I restarted it, that gives me another 27 or so.ā
Miller said he didnāt learn a new pitch during his long layoff, despite āscouringā social media looking for one, but said he has been messing with his cutter and trying out a new grip on his slider that he picked up from Houstonās Bryan Abreu; heās curious to see how the slider will play in Seattleās colder air after it was really ādepthyā in .
āIām just trying to get some kind of breaking ball I can get more whiff on. Thatās something I struggled with the last few years, so hopefully this is the one ā Iāve tried every slider grip possible. This is one I think Iāll be able to throw in any count, and hopefully have a little bit of leeway if I do miss. The slider of the past kind of felt like if I missed it, it kind of got punished.ā
Miller will have a chance to try out his new slider when he makes his first rehab start for Tacoma tomorrow, although heāll only have about two innings and 30 pitches to work on it. His next start will progress to three innings and 45 pitches, and then on to four, five, and six innings and 60-plus pitches. Mariners GM Justin Hollander says Miller will be on an every-sixth-day schedule, allowing him to pitch once per series on the minor-league schedule.
The thing the Mariners have been monitoring with Miller is how quickly heās been bouncing back after outings. What was slowing Miller earlier in the rehab process was lingering soreness for days after heād thrown; that soreness abated and then eventually disappeared, at which point the team determined it was time to send him out on a rehab assignment.
āIt was kind of a roller coaster of a rehab process,ā said Miller, ābecause Iād get to a point where it felt really good, and then Iād throw a bullpen, itād go really good, velo would be great, and then the next couple days I just wouldnāt recover quickly enough.ā
But Miller said he finally has gotten to the point where he bounced back quickly after a bullpen, feeling ā100% completely normalā in the days following his last outing.
āOver the last week, 10 days, weāve gotten to the point where he feels great all the time,ā said Hollander. āHe doesnāt feel any aching or soreness while heās throwing, and he doesnāt feel any soreness afterwards. So thatās the progression.ā
While the team will be monitoring Millerās mechanics over his rehab outings, making sure heās not changing anything to compensate for any lingering injury, they probably wonāt need to wThereās been no downturn in Millerās stuff, which was looking great in his lone spring training outing before he was shut down with the oblique injury. His fastball has been up ā 98 and touching 99 ā consistently through his bullpens.
Miller says the thing heāll be focusing on is all the little details he didnāt get to do with no spring training or competitive games, things like pitching on a pitch clock, holding a runner, or doing pickoff moves, something he said āwho completed his first successful big-league pickoff to first last homestandāhas offered to help him with.
āIāve seen him for ten minutes in there, heās already brought it up,ā said Bryce.
Miller also this recent spate of injuries, after a lifetime of being fortunate in that regard, has taught him the importance of controlling what he can control.
āIāve just been really trying to make sure I do everything I can to take care of my body, make sure Iām ready to go, not skip anything on the prep side, nothing on the recovery side. And then if I do all that and something happens, then itās out of my hands, but I canāt look back and be like, damn, if I would have just prepped a little more, maybe it would have been fine.ā
The question hanging over all of this is: what does the team do when Miller is ready to return to the big-league club while his replacement has been so effective? Hollander, unsurprisingly, says thatās a bridge the organization will cross when it comes.
āThereās one thing that I never lie there at night, not able to sleep, thinking about, and thatās what if we have too many good starting pitchers. Itās just not a thing that happens to almost anyone. If we get to be a month from now and thatās what happens, weāll figure it out. We havenāt made any decisions on that whatsoever.ā
āAnd truthfully, God bless us if itās a problem we have thirty days from now.ā
Q&A
When will Bryce Miller start his rehab assignment?
Bryce Miller will begin his rehab assignment tomorrow with Tacoma.
What is the nature of Bryce Miller's injury?
Bryce Miller is recovering from a left oblique injury that sidelined him since February 26.
How is the Mariners' management handling Bryce Miller's return?
The Mariners plan to monitor Miller's performance closely during his rehab outings and will evaluate his readiness to return to the big leagues based on his recovery and effectiveness.
Who is replacing Bryce Miller while he is on the injured list?
Emerson Hancock has been effectively filling in for Bryce Miller during his absence.
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