Seattle Mariners Likely to Shut Down Young Pitcher in Second Half

The Seattle Mariners have won three straight games and have moved to within one game of .500 at 41-42.

They are on the fringes of the American League playoff picture, currently sitting 8.0 games out of first place in the American League West and 5.0 games back in the chase for a wild card spot. 

But if the M's are going to go on a second-half run like each of the last two years, they'll likely have to do without young pitcher Bryan Woo.

According to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Woo is going to be shut down at some point in the second half of the season.

His report was discussed by the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Woo, who could still make one more start before the All-Star break Saturday at Houston, is expected to be shut down at some point in the second half of the season in order to preserve his arm, Daniel Kramer of the team's official site reports.

ANALYSIS
The rookie right-hander has been outstanding after stumbling out of the gate against the dangerous Rangers in his first major-league start back on June 3, pitching to a 1-0 record, 2.36 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 across the 26.2 innings covering his subsequent five outings. However, the Mariners have said all along they'll be careful with Woo, who, when factoring in the 44 frames he logged at Double-A Arkansas before his promotion, has already surpassed the 56 innings he pitched in 2022. General manager Justin Hollander has already alluded to the likelihood Woo will be shut down altogether at some point during the second half, adding "we're not just purely measuring innings; we're measuring stressful innings, how hard they're working in any given outing."

It's an understandable move for the organization, as Woo has dealt with arm problems in the past. Last year was his first year of professional baseball, so he only had the 57.0 innings last year as a base for this year.

Injuries to Marco Gonzales and Robbie Ray necessitated the use of both Woo and Bryce Miller this season, but the organization has to be careful with both.

If the M's are able to stay around the playoff race deeper into July, they'll likely need to add a pitcher and hope that Gonzales comes back healthy.

The Mariners will play the Giants in a July 4 matinee at 4:35 p.m. ET.