Matt Brash to 15-day IL; LHP Josh Simpson recalled

PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 27: Josh Simpson #37 of the Seattle Mariners pitches during the sixth inning of the spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Peoria Stadium on February 27, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images Just an hour after Mariners GM Justin Hollander gave his weekly injury update saying the team hadn’t made a determination about a Matt Brash IL stint, the Mariners announced they have placed Brash on the 15-day IL with right lat inflammation. The injury designation isn’t entirely a surprise, despite Hollander’s optimism regarding the injury itself – and sure, a lat is preferable to an oblique injury, something the Mariners have seen enough of already, and certainly preferable to a shoulder or elbow injury.

It’s early in the season and the Mariners are being hyper-vigilant about protecting their setup man, who missed all of 2024 and time in 2025 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The bigger surprise is in who the Mariners are replacing Brash with. Many suspected the Mariners would turn to RHP Yosver Zulueta, who they acquired this off-season from the Reds in a minor-league swap.

Zulueta has big stuff, a traditional fastball-slider reliever who has already racked up 14 strikeouts in 10 games at Tacoma. He also has the attendant command issues that caused me to label him “ Carlos Vargas 2. 0 ” this spring.

Still, Zulueta seemed like the next logical choice after the Mariners had already pulled on their depth at Tacoma, selecting both Cole Wilcox and Alex Hoppe, both of whom saw similar amounts of time with the big-league club this spring as Zulueta. But the Mariners instead opted to recall lefty Josh Simpson, acquired from the Marlins for cash considerations this spring. Simpson has less-loud stuff but similar strikeout numbers in Tacoma: 12 Ks in 9.