The Seattle Mariners will promote top pitching prospect Kade Anderson to make his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs on August 22. That naturally brought up questions about Bryan Woo’s availability, as he was in line to start that game on five days’ rest.
Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports that Woo was scratched with right shoulder discomfort. While his next start has yet to be determined, Mariners manager Dan Wilson told Jude that he believes the 26-year-old could avoid a trip to the injured list.
Bryan Woo has been pushed back after leaving his last start with shoulder discomfort. His next start TBD. Dan Wilson sounded confident Woo would not need an IL stint, but nothing finalized.
While Wilson believes Woo will avoid the injured list, it still creates questions about his health. In 24 starts, the right-hander is 9-8 with a 4.10 ERA across 138.1 innings.
Curtis Crabtree of FOX 13 Seattle adds that no imaging was done on Woo’s injured shoulder. So the club believes this recent injury situation is merely short-term and only affects them the next turn through the rotation. Wilson adds they’ll try to reslot Woo into the rotation following the Cubs series.
At most, he’d miss one turn in rotation but they’re going to try and re-slot him after the weekend. Woo did not get any imagining done.
Bryce Miller will start on Sunday.
Mariners Set Rotation for Cubs Series
GettyMariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson will make his long-anticipated MLB debut on August 22. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
For the Cubs series, the Mariners will start Emerson Hancock, Kade Anderson, and Bryce Miller. The three pitchers slated to pitch this weekend are controllable through the 2030, 2028, and 2032 seasons, respectively.
This weekend serves as a glimpse into the organization’s future after Logan Gilbert and George Kirby both reach free agency after next season. They would still have Woo, Miller, Hancock, Anderson, and one of Gilbert or Kirby available for next season’s rotation.
Depending on how the younger starters look, it could impact the Mariners’ offseason strategy. With Gilbert and Kirby entering their contract years, the organization could leverage them in a trade to address needs on their roster.
Anderson’s debut will be the most anticipated for a pitching prospect since Paul Skenes two years ago. The former No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft ranked near the top of every Top 100 list. On MLB Pipeline, he holds the No. 3 overall spot.
With Double-A Arkansas, Anderson put up video-game numbers in his debut season. In 18 starts, he has a 1.06 ERA with a 40.5% strikeout rate across 93.1 innings. He represented the organization at the 2026 Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park, starting the game for the American League.
Seattle Mariners Announce Bryan Woo Decision Before Cubs Series