Wekiva High School grad Logan Gilbert has been as consistent as he has been clutch since joining the Seattle Mariners in 2021. But this season, his fifth in the majors, he has had to battle injury to maintain the lofty bar he set for himself early in his career.
In his first four seasons, Gilbert threw an average of 175 innings per season, and he led the league in innings pitched and games started in 2024. Over the last three seasons, he has thrown 185.2 innings (2022), 190.2 innings (2023) and 208.2 innings (2024) for an average of 194.53 innings per season.
That kind of durability—along with a 2.91 midseason ERA—earned him his first All-Star selection last year. Gilbert traveled to Arlington, Texas, as one of the pitchers on the 2024 American League squad.
“It’s just a dream come true,” Gilbert told mlb.com.
But the dream hit some bumps this season. He left his April 25 start early and—for the first time in his career—landed on the injured list with a mild flexor strain in his pitching elbow. At the time, he had a season ERA of 2.37 across six starts and had collected 44 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.
The Mariners shut him down for more than a month. He eventually returned for three rehab starts with the Mariners’ Triple-A team, the Tacoma Rainiers, where he posted a 2.79 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 9.2 innings.
Before Gilbert’s return on June 16, Seattle manager Dan Wilson said he and the team were happy to have the right-hander back.
“It’s been a stretch without him,” Wilson said. “The rehab has gone really well, he’s in a good spot, and good timing for it. [Gilbert and George Kirby have], over the years, proven how solid they are, how experienced they are, how consistent they’ve been, and getting that back in your rotation is key.”
Gilbert did not disappoint. In his first game back from the injured list, he struck out 10 Boston Red Sox batters, tying his season high, over five innings in the Mariners’ 2-0 loss.
“You always get nervous before games, and that’s a good thing,” Gilbert told MLB.com after the game. “But I was just really grateful just to play and be out there and do something I love and do it for a job. Like, there’s a lot more than just going out there, middle-of-the-season baseball game. It felt like a bigger deal than that for me.”
Since his return, Gilbert has pitched four more games. The Mariners won three of four, but with mixed results for Gilbert.
On Sunday, June 22, the Mariners traveled to Chicago, where Gilbert struck out six but gave up four runs, including three home runs, in five innings. Seattle beat the Cubs 14-6.
On Friday, June 27, the Mariners traveled to Texas to face the Rangers. Gilbert struck out seven and again gave up four runs across 5.1 innings of work. Seattle won 7-6 in 12 innings.
On Wednesday, July 2, Gilbert gave up just one run and struck out seven in 4.2 innings as Seattle defeated Kansas City 3-2.
And in his most recent outing on Tuesday, The Mariners traveled to New York, where Gilbert was shelled by the Yankees batters. Gilbert struck out five and gave up five runs through 5.1 innings. The Yankees defeated the Mariners 10-3.
In his five games since returning from injury, Gilbert has a 5.74 ERA and 35 strikeouts across 25.1 innings.
Gilbert will not come close to the career highs he set in innings and strikeouts (220) last year, but he’s in position to play an important role in the American League pennant race. Entering play Wednesday, the Mariners were in second place in the AL West and holding down the third AL Wild Card spot—two games in front of Boston and within a game of Tampa Bay and New York.