Logan Gilbert removed from start with right forearm tightness

Bad news for Big Bert

Friday night’s loss against the Marlins hurt the Mariners in more than just the standings, as starter Logan Gilbert was removed from the game after the third inning with what the team announced as right forearm tightness; postgame, both manager Dan Wilson and Logan Gilbert described it as “stiffness.” Gilbert felt the stiffness pregame and described it as not abnormal for this point in the season— “there’s just a hump you kind of got to get over, and I felt like I was almost at that point”—but was frustrated that the stiffness refused to resolve itself, leading to his short night.

“It didn’t really get a ton worse, which is good,” Gilbert said, saying he was talking with trainers before and during the game. “Just a little tight, and Dan was just adamant about trying to do his best [by his players], and hopefully it’s nothing serious, and [it’s a] long season, and that kind of stuff.”

Gilbert said he lobbied to go back out in the fourth, but was denied. “They always try to do what’s best for us, which is what’s smartest in the long run.”

Despite pitching a perfect three innings, Gilbert’s velocity was noticeably down as he opened the game with two big misses to Xavier Edwards before getting him to ground out. He also had an uncharacteristic miss with a slider, hanging one in the middle of the plate that Eric Wagaman cued just foul. While occasionally grazing 95, Gilbert’s velocity—usually a sharp 97-98 in the first inning or two—failed to rebound, as he was scraping 93s and 94s in the third inning, when he visibly winced after delivering his final pitch of the inning. Gilbert didn’t throw any splitters, to his recollection (Statcast has him as throwing one, but that might have been a slider), saying they didn’t think it was “a great idea”, and noted that the fastball felt tight. Gilbert said his slider didn’t cause him any trouble, though, as he was able to lean on the pitch to get him through his three-inning outing, something he’s feeling optimistic about.

While the hope when a starting pitcher leaves an outing early in the game is always for a low-level blister, forearm tightness is obviously of much greater concern, as it can often be a precursor to a more serious elbow injury. It’s worth noting, however, that Bryan Woo was able to manage forearm tightness last season and return to put a strong finish on his year.

Gilbert has, over his time with Seattle, been renowned for his meticulous arm care routine, so much so that it’s been a running joke on ROOT broadcasts where he’s been gently needled about his “bag of tricks.” As other pitchers have been sidelined with various ailments, Gilbert has been the workhorse of the Mariners staff since making the big leagues; his long track record of health dates back to his time in the minors, or even further back to his college history, when he performed in a similar capacity at Stetson.

“That part’s tough,” said Gilbert postgrame. “I mean, I don’t want to make it like a pity party about myself, but I take a lot of pride in that. It’s kind of how I want to be known, eating innings and being dependable and being healthy...I’ve never really come out of a start. I think this is the first one. So like I said, it’s not all about me, but it’s kind of tough. First time, that kind of stuff.”

Now, the Mariners—already dealing with an injury to their starting rotation in George Kirby—will anxiously await news on the severity of the injury to Gilbert, their Opening Day starter and the anchor of their rotation. Entering tonight’s game, Gilbert, although not working as deep into starts as he typically has, had a 2.63 ERA and led all qualified MLB starters with a 38% strikeout rate; he ranks in the 98th percentile in baseball in Whiff%. To lose him for any significant amount of time would be devastating both for the team, and for the All-Star himself, one of baseball’s best pitchers.

As for next steps, it wasn’t clear whether Gilbert will be sent for an MRI or what kind of tests will be conducted. “We’ll know more tomorrow,” said Wilson multiple times when asked.

“I’ve got a lot of faith,” said Gilbert. “God’s got a plan; I trust in that. I think it’ll be all right. I think it could be a lot, lot worse.”

This story will be updated with further information.