Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby (shoulder) "felt great" during a bullpen session over the weekend, according to general manager Justin Hollander. Kirby will throw two more bullpens this week and then start a more traditional game progression. The Mariners don't have an official timeline for Kirby to make his 2025 season debut, but it sounds like May is more likely at this point. The 27-year-old started the year on the injured list after being diagnosed with inflammation in his right shoulder back in early March in spring training. It caused most fantasy managers to pass on the former first-rounder in drafts, but he's been making good progress and might only have to miss the first month of the season. Kirby is an elite control artist and will be valuable in all fantasy leagues once he's healthy, but he's also sported a below-average strikeout rate in his three big-league seasons.

The Seattle Times' Ryan Divish reports that Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby (shoulder) played catch in camp on Friday. Kirby was diagnosed with right-shoulder inflammation on March 7, and this is the first time he's thrown a ball since then. It's progress, but the 27-year-old will still open the 2025 regular season on the injured list. However, barring a setback now that he's throwing again, he may not miss much time and could make his season debut by mid-April. While Kirby should still be rostered in all fantasy leagues despite the fact he won't be ready for the start of the season, the injury certainly makes him a little less attractive in fantasy drafts this weekend for a pitcher that has had a below-average strikeout rate in his three major-league seasons. Stash him as a No. 3/4 fantasy starter to begin the year.

Per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Seattle Mariners' starting pitcher, George Kirby (shoulder), hopes to resume throwing in a few days. Kirby was shut down by the team earlier this month after experiencing shoulder inflammation that stemmed from his second spring training outing. While he has yet to begin playing catch, he's reportedly continued his lower body and core conditioning while resuming arm-strengthening exercises. It's a critical step for the 27-year-old as he attempts to work his way back to the mound. "I'm hoping to get back up there by the middle of April," said the former first-round pick. Kirby was superb in 2024, authoring one of the lowest walk rates in the league (3.0%). Fortunately, it appears he won't miss too much time. The righty is still going off the boards inside the top 100 of fantasy drafts and, more often, inside the top 75.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (shoulder) received a biologics injection in his right shoulder on Thursday afternoon. The team hopes this injection will help Kirby return to strengthening activities in three to four days. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status. Even though he is expected to open the season on the injured list, he may not face an extended absence. Last summer, the 27-year-old logged a career-high 191 innings and held a 3.53 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP. He tallied 179 punchouts and posted a stellar 3.0 percent walk rate. He generated an above-average 3.44 xERA which suggests he could see some positive regression during the 2025 season. While he is sidelined during the start of the campaign, Emerson Hancock will likely join the starting rotation.

Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby (shoulder) has been dealing with right-shoulder inflammation and underwent an MRI exam that showed no structural damage, according to The Seattle Times' Ryan Divish. Kirby has been shut down from throwing in camp despite his wishes and will start the 2025 regular season on the injured list. This is very worrisome for a starting pitcher that RotoBaller had ranked at No. 10 at his position, although if any team is equipped to handle the loss of a high-end starter, it would be Seattle. The good news is there's no structural damage in the 27-year-old's arm, but that doesn't mean that his shoulder won't become an issue later on this year once he comes off the IL. Kirby has had a below-average strikeout rate but has made up for it with impeccable command. His injury should open up a rotation spot for right-hander Emerson Hancock early on.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby kept his team's playoff hopes alive with six strong innings in Wednesday's 8-1 victory over the Astros, allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out six on the way to recording his 14th win of the season. It was the 26-year-old's third straight quality start and 20th of the year out of 33 starts. The righty finishes the season 14-11 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 20.1% K-BB% thanks in part to an elite-level 3.0% walk rate. The 26-year-old has now posted three consecutive seasons of sub-4.00 ERA (and sub-4.00 SIERA) to start his career along with excellent command, proving he's one of the brightest young arms in the game and managers should expect similar results in 2025.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby made easy work of the Texas Rangers lineup during Sunday's game. The right-hander allowed only one hit over seven shutout innings during Sunday's victory. He struck out three batters along the way and only gave up a single to Ezequiel Duran. Kirby has been excellent against the Rangers throughout his career and is having a strong overall season in general. He'll take a 3.62 ERA into his next start and is a must-start option the way he has been pitching.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby picked up his 11th win of the season in Wednesday's 16-3 victory over the Athletics, tossing six innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, walking none and striking out nine en route to his 17th quality start of the year. It was a nice way to start September after a dreadful month of August in which he posted a 6.84 ERA with a 1.72 WHIP and a 7.92 K/9 in five starts. Still, the 26-year-old is having a fine season overall, posting a 3.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 20.5% K-BB% thanks to a minuscule 3.0% walk rate. The former first-round draft pick will take on the Padres in his next start at home next Tuesday.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (8-9) had the worst start of his career on Tuesday as he and his team got blown out 15-1 by the Detroit Tigers. The 26-year-old gave up 11 runs (six earned) on 12 hits (three homers) while walking one and striking out five over 3 2/3 innings. This horrendous outing came as a surprise, as Kirby has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season (and the two seasons before this). In 25 starts (144 2/3 IP), Kirby has a 3.42 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and an 8.89 K/9. He will look to bounce back his next time out, which will come Sunday vs Pittsburgh.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby dominated on Friday as he tossed seven shutout frames with seven punchouts against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed six hits and one free pass. Kirby has enjoyed an excellent season so far with a strong 3.03 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 14:129 BB:K ratio across 130 innings. In addition, across his last three outings, the 26-year-old has held a minuscule 0.95 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. His near-perfect 2.7% walk rate places him in the top 99th percentile among all pitchers. Kirby remains a must-start player going forward and will face the Boston Red Sox in his next start on Wednesday, July 31.

Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby proved in his start on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays that he can have success while making changes on the fly. Kirby decided he didn't like the action on his curveball and how it worked against right-handers, so on Tuesday he decided to change his grip for the pitch. He took it into his start on Wednesday, throwing it just six times, but he got five swings on it, including two whiffs, two foul balls and a ground-out. Kirby used all five of his pitches to deliver his 10th quality start of the year, giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven in six innings of work. He's allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last six outings, posting a 1.70 ERA in that span. In 37 innings pitched over that time, he's struck out 40 and walked only three. The 26-year-old is in the zone right now and is a must-start in fantasy.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby looked sharp on the mound during Wednesday's start against the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander struck out seven batters while allowing only one run over six innings during Wednesday's win. Kirby gave up an early run off the bat of Yandy Diaz, but he held the Rays in check after that. The 26-year-old has allowed two earned runs or less in six straight starts. He'll take a 3.35 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 96/9 K/BB into a tougher matchup against the Baltimore Orioles next week.

Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby turned in an excellent start in a 7-5 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. Kirby allowed just one unearned run over six innings of work while striking out six and walking two to earn the win. The veteran hurler racked up 16 swinging strikes in the outing while improving his record to 6-5 on the season. Overall, Kirby has a 3.54 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 84 strikeouts over 86 1/3 innings of work this season. Kirby is a nice anchor starting pitcher for fantasy gamers and should be in starting lineups whenever he takes the mound. His next scheduled start is set for Friday on the road against the Miami Marlins.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby threw six innings of one-run ball but did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-1 walk-off victory over the Astros. Kirby scattered six hits and did not walk a batter while striking out eight. It was a much-needed strong outing after allowing five earned runs in each of his last two starts. The righty's record stands at 4-5 on the season with a 4.08 ERA (3.33 FIP), 1.02 WHIP, and a 21.1% K-BB%. The former first-round draft pick gets another chance to keep things heading in the right direction in a favorable matchup against the A's on Tuesday, a team that has the second-most strikeouts and third-lowest team batting average in all of baseball.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby got things back on track in Monday's 6-2 win over the Royals. Kirby turned in seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and no walks with six strikeouts. He also hit two batters. The 26-year-old is now 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 9.12 K/9 rate, and a 0.89 BB/9 rate in nine starts and 50 1/3 IP. He will face a tougher matchup in his next scheduled start at the Orioles, but fantasy managers should feel comfortable starting him unless they have the luxury of better alternatives.

Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby (knee) has been cleared to make his next start this Wednesday to face the Twins in Minnesota. Kirby threw 88 pitches in his most recent start last Friday against the Houston Astros but dealt with a right-knee injury, which put him up in the air to make his next start. Apparently the 26-year-old's injury isn't serious enough to keep him from taking his next turn in Seattle's rotation, but fantasy managers may want to be a little extra careful when deploying him against a Twins team that just had their 12-game winning streak snapped on Sunday by the Boston Red Sox. Kirby has been good in his seven starts so far in 2024, going 3-2 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings, so fantasy managers in most single-year leagues will probably want to keep him in their starting lineups.

Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby (knee) had an MRI on his right knee on Saturday as a precaution. Mariners manager Scott Servais is optimistic Kirby won't miss any time and will make his next start Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. The 26-year-old was pulled from Friday's outing against the Houston Astros after just 88 pitches. Kirby's knee injury doesn't sound serious, and the MRI results should confirm the severity of his issue. He owns a 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 41:4 K:BB across 38 1/3 innings in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Kirby as long as he's cleared for his next scheduled start on Thursday.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (knee) has been dealing with a right knee issue, manager Scott Servais said following Friday's 5-3 road loss to the division-rival Houston Astros. Servais said that it's not a major problem, but it's one that the team is monitoring. It likely explains why the M's opted to turn to their bullpen with Kirby pitching well on just 88 pitches through six innings, as the hurler had given up only one run on four hits and zero walks with three strikeouts for a no-decision on Friday. The 26-year-old right-hander's status is worth keeping an eye on ahead of his next scheduled start, which tentatively lines up for Wednesday against the surging Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Over his last four starts, Kirby holds a 1.13 ERA with a sparkling 28:2 K:BB across 24 innings, but the Twins are scoring 7.3 runs per game during their current 11-game winning streak.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby has been a big reason why the team has a 1.58 ERA over their last 19 games since April 10. After yielding 13 runs in his first 14 1/3 innings (three starts) of the 2024 regular season, Kirby has turned it around for a 1.00 ERA and a 25:2 K:BB across the subsequent 18 frames (three starts). The 26-year-old All-Star right-hander will take the ball in a tough spot on Friday for the start of a three-game weekend set on the road against the division-rival Houston Astros, but in three career starts against Houston, Kirby owns a 1.62 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 14:3 K:BB across 16 2/3 innings. The current Astros roster is batting a career .218 (12-for-55) with zero extra-base hits against Kirby, who'll have plenty of DFS tournament appeal on Friday's full slate.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby put up his second straight underwhelming start on Tuesday versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Over four innings, Kirby allowed eight hits and five runs. The good news is that his command was there with no walks, but he only struck out three on the evening. Kirby entered the season as a potential Top-10 option and managers will want to remain patient this early in the season. Looking forward, Kirby will look to get back on track versus the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.