Right hand man of the Mariners Easton McGee It is reported that he will undergo Tommy John surgery. Ryan Didish for The Seattle Times. If that really happens, the rest of his 2023 season and part of his 2024 season will also disappear.
McGee, 25, was acquired from the Red Sox in an offseason trade to start 2023 in the minors. He appeared in five Triple-A starts, posted a 3.14 ERA, and was recalled as a spot starter against the Blue Jays at the end of April. He performed very well in that game, pitching 6 2/3 of his innings without allowing a run, allowing only one hit for him and one for him. Unfortunately, he was placed on the injured reserve the next day and now appears to face a very significant absence as TJS typically requires a 14-18 month recovery period. The Mariners will eventually move him to 60-day IL whenever they want his roster spot.
Drafted by the Rays in 2016, he made his way to the major leagues last year with the same team and made his major league debut without allowing a single run in three innings. He spent most of the season in Triple-A, throwing 107 2/3 innings in 22 starts and five relief appearances. During this time, he recorded a 5.43 ERA, a 17.4% strikeout rate, a 4.3% walk rate, and a 39.6% ground ball rate. The Rays nominated him for an appointment in October, but the Red Sox then waived him and released him to Seattle for cash a month later.
This is obviously bad news for McGee, but the only hope is that the injury happened after he got promoted to the big leagues. That means he’ll spend the rest of the season on injured reserve while still receiving a major league salary and hours.
For the Mariners, they initially recalled McGee as they were trying to cover his absence. Robbie Rayhimself required Tommy John surgery. Bryce Miller Since then it has stepped up and grabbed the next rotation spot Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Marco Gonzalesbut they won’t be able to rely on Easton as an option for the rest of the tier this season.