Drayer described Miller’s closure as “very precautionary,” and the pain was so mild that Miller might not have even told the team if the problem had occurred during the regular season. That said, there’s obviously no reason for Miller or the Mariners to push things during Spring Training. It’s not out of the question that Miller could start the season on the 15-day injured list as an extra precaution, or if he can’t get back on the mound within a week to continue his regular spring season.
Miller is already coming off an injury-marred season in which he was limited to 90 1/3 regular-season innings. Bone spurs in his throwing elbow sent Miller to the IL twice, although he returned in the latter part of August to make eight more starts, subsequently posting a 2.51 ERA over three starts and 14 1 1/3 innings in the playoffs.
Rather than undergo surgery to address bone spurs, Miller opted for non-surgical treatments like a cortisone injection, a PRP injection and a Synvisc injection to avoid a procedure. It’s been just over a week since Miller stated that he could have essentially had a normal offseason, though this seemingly minor bout of side soreness is certainly not welcome.
If things developed to the point where Miller needed an IL trip, Emerson Hancock would likely be Seattle’s best choice as a rotation fill-in. Blas Castano and tall person Cooper Criswell are also on the 40-man roster, or the Mariners can choose to select the contract of a non-roster invite like Casey Lawrence or Then Dunning.
Turning to the diamond, J.P. Crawford is expected to play its first Cactus League game of the spring on Tuesday. The veteran shortstop will be in the lineup Tuesday as a DH as Crawford continues to recover from a shoulder issue that has slowed his progress in camp. Hollander said the plan is for Crawford to return to shortstop next week, which should give him plenty of time to be ready for Opening Day.
There was never any concern that Crawford would miss any regular season action, as the M’s simply eased Crawford into his spring duties. He will take part in a live batting practice session today to get some at-bats against real pitchers under his belt before his debut game.
After an oblique strain and a broken right hand limited Crawford to 105 games in 2024, he rebounded for a healthy 2025 campaign and a .265/.352/.370 slash line with 12 home runs over 654 plate appearances (which translates to a 113 wRC+). Crawford is now entering both his age-31 season and the final year of the five-year, $51 million extension he signed with the Mariners on April 22. Foal Emerson on the eve of his MLB debut, Crawford’s future in Seattle could be in doubt, so he will need a strong season to impress the M’s or potential other suitors as free agency looms.
Expectation Victor Labrada made his Triple-A debut in 2025 and could be on the radar for his first big-league call-up sometime in 2026, but his season could be postponed by a sideline strain. Hollander said Labrada hurt his oblique while swinging in the batting cage yesterday, and an MRI today will determine the extent of the injury.
Labrada hit .265/.397/.376 over 235 plate appearances with Triple-A Tacoma, and he has an overall .267/.365/.402 slash line over 2155 PA in his minor league career. The 26-year-old doesn’t have a lot of power, but he has great speed, with 172 steals on 222 attempts. This speed and solid glovework at all three outfield positions could make Labrada at least a backup outfielder at the MLB level, and his ability to remain as a regular will depend on how well he can get to the base and take advantage of what he does. Baseball America describes as “solid bat-to-ball skills to hit the ball to the alleys.” BA ranks Labrada as the 26th best prospect in the Mariners’ farm system.
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