Mariners ‘concerned’ about rookie starter Bryce Miller’s blister

At some point after the All-Star break, the Mariners were going to need to ease the workload of their two rookie starting pitchers.

Those plans might have to be hastened after Bryce Miller exited Friday’s game with a bloody blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

Miller’s next turn in the rotation would come up Wednesday in the Mariners’ series finale in San Francisco, but manager Scott Servais said Saturday that Miller’s status is up in the air.

“We’re concerned,” Servais said Saturday afternoon. “It’s still sore today. He’s getting some treatment on it to try to get that nailed down, but it’s more about what’s going on underneath [the skin] there. If there’s still pockets of blood forming, it is painful.”

Miller, 24, left his start against the Rays on Friday night in the fourth inning after the blister burst, preventing him from getting a proper grip on the ball.

He had looked dominant through the first three innings, not allowing a hit and striking out six of the 10 batters he’d faced. Even in a truncated outing, he induced a season-high 18 swings-and-misses on his four-seam fastball.

Miller said he’d had issues with blisters in college, when he’d use super glue to patch it up. He also dealt with one last month.

He’s still hoping to make his next scheduled start Wednesday, but the finger would need to heal by then.

“It’s pretty swollen,” Miller said Saturday. “But we’ve got five days, so we’ll see.”

The Mariners have acknowledged they will have to shut down Bryan Woo, their other rookie starter, at some point in the second half of the season. Woo pitched just 57 minor-league innings in 2022, his first season pitching in pro ball, and he’s already exceeded that total (66 2/3 innings and counting) this year.

Woo is scheduled to start Monday in San Francisco. After that, the Mariners could option him to Class AAA Tacoma for a short stretch through the All-Star break to manage his workload, a strategy they employed last year with George Kirby during his rookie season.

The Mariners have three veteran options in Tacoma they could use as a spot starter: right-handers Darren McCaughan and Jose Rodriguez or left-hander Tommy Milone.

Emerson Hancock, their 2020 first-round pick, could be an option at some point in the second half of the season. Hancock was named the Mariners’ pitcher of the month for June, after the 24-year-old right-hander posted a 4-0 record with a 1.74 ERA with six walks and 29 strikeouts for Class AA Arkansas.

Arozarena commits to Home Run Derby

A day after homering against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, Rays slugger Randy Arozarena announced Saturday that he will participate in the July 10 Home Run Derby in Seattle during All-Star Week festivities.

He’s the fourth player confirmed for the Derby, joining the Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez, the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts.

Note

Hancock was named the Mariners’ June pitcher of the month Saturday. The organization’s player of the month is outfielder Isiah Gilliam and the reliever of the month is Devin Sweet.

Gilliam, a 26-year-old switch-hitter, had a .321/.380/.667 (1.047 OPS) slash line with eight home runs, four doubles, six steals and 22 RBI in 21 games for Arkansas.

Sweet pitched 10 scoreless innings out of the Arkansas bullpen in June, striking out 11 and walking one.

In 22 appearances overall with Arkansas this season, Sweet is 4-1 with three saves and a 1.80 ERA with eight walks and 39 strikeouts.