Manager Dan Wilson told reporters Friday afternoon that the Seattle Mariners are moving RHP Bryce Miller to the bullpen. Wilson referred to the decision as a “not a permanent thing” per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, with Seattle viewing Miller as a starter long-term, but it seems likely to stick for the final month of the 2026 campaign. The move comes after weeks of struggles for Miller, following a promising first month back from injury to start 2026. The move will allow Seattle to maintain a traditional five-man starting rotation, with LHP Kade Anderson slotting into the cycle. Miller was available out of the bullpen for Wednesday’s series finale against the Phillies, and it appears the change is for the long term (or at least for the rest of this season in all likelihood).
The move is perhaps the final stage of a season-long saga for Seattle. After months of piggy backs, six-man stacks, and heart attacks, Seattle dealt veteran RHP Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline. Back in late June and early July, Seattle was considering a “super pen” to incorporate wunderkinds Anderson and RHP Ryan Sloan in a big league roster overflowing with starting pitching but needing bullpen help and a boost ofsomething, anything.
Two months later, and Anderson is up and starting, just weeks after President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto stated there was no shot they’d call up Anderson just for bullpen work at this point. Other than his managed workload in the minors, which cannot be wholly dismissed, Anderson’s excellence is meritorious of a rotation spot. But once again the numbers are cumbersome. Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and George Kirby have all had blips this season, but by peripherals and track record continue to merit starting roles. Emerson Hancock has been fortunate at times, but has only had three poor starts all season (as well as the abbreviated outing at Tampa Bay when he took a line drive off the hand back in July).
That’s left Miller on the precipice, where the Texan has spent much of his career. A reliever for much of his college career between JUCO Blinn College and Texas A&M, the label has dogged him for years. Nearly every scouting report you can find on the lean, 6’2 righty makes note of the riskiness for a pitcher without a massive frame and reliant on a brilliant fastball to stick in a rotation. And yet, that’s what he’s done until now.
Resistance to a bullpen move is understandable for any starter. It’s a demotion by any measure, it pays worse in arbitration and in eventual salary negotiations, and your influence on the game becomes more uncertain. But for Miller, whose strong debut in 2023 preceded a stellar 2024, elbow bone chips played into a dismal and disrupted season in 2025. While he managed to gut through three playoff starts, including two high-wire acts against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, Miller missed time to start 2026. He’s continued to refine and expand his arsenal beyond a typical bullpen arm, but the tendency to be particularly susceptible to hitters the third time through the order has made him a liability for the M’s.
Though this move is a demotion for Miller, it is also a potentially stellar fit for his skillset, and provides the M’s the chance at the type of player they’ve been desperately missing all season. Miller’s capacity to go multiple innings and bridge a gap to the high-leverage arms is theoretically exactly what the M’s have lacked without Matt Brash, Cooper Criswell, Carlos Vargas, and others for much of the year. Miller’s capacity is closer to Brash than any other arm in the M’s pen, an exciting possibility for a club that has ground to make up to defend their AL West Division title.
COVERS INTEL: Minshew has been very efficient in his two preseason games, passing 33-of-39 for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Slovis is 18-of-26 for 211 yards and one score. Minshew also threw a touchdown pass against Green Bay in the joint practice.
