Mariners Matt Brash shut down indefinitely from throwing, will visit orthopedic surgeon

Seattle will be without their backend bullpen arm for a more significant amount of time than anticipated

Yesterday Mariners GM Justin Hollander gave an injury update for several players, including Matt Brash, who had been throwing at 100% intensity and looking great, working at his usual velocity with his usual pitch shapes. The next step was for Brash to consult with team doctors to make sure he was bouncing back appropriately from the outing and could be sent out on a rehab assignment. Unfortunately, today Hollander shared a discouraging update regarding Brash’s progress: instead of bouncing back quickly, he felt significant pain while going through his throwing program. The Mariners are shutting him down from throwing entirely and flying him to Dallas to meet again with Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic surgeon and the team doctor for the Texas Rangers.

While Brash had thrown well in his previous outings, able to dial up the intensity and work with more complex pitch shapes, he hadn’t been bouncing back as quickly as the team had initially hoped between throwing sessions. Apparently, this has been a pattern for Brash, who would be fine during the outing, but then post-throw, feeling tightness or heaviness, with the feeling being slower to grow away between each outing. Instead of the down time getting smaller, towards the end it was taking him longer and longer to bounce back between outings, a problem that apparently came to a head after yesterday’s session.

“Yesterday he threw and did not feel good at all,” said Hollander. “I think his words were ‘every throw felt bad.’ That was our position last night and we are concerned.”

Instead of beginning his rehab outing, Brash returned to Arizona to be at the team facility and will fly to Dallas this week to consult again with Dr. Meister and examine “possible options,” whenever he can get in to see the doctor.

Meister, along with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, is widely considered one of the leading experts on UCL joints and Tommy John surgeries, working out of TMI Sports Medicine in Dallas.

“We’ll hope for the best,” said Hollander. “But obviously, we’re concerned.”