Mariners' Logan Gilbert: Not candidate to replace Paxton

Gilbert is still projected to make his major-league debut in 2021, but the Mariners plan on him logging the bulk of his innings in the second half of the campaign despite the rotation vacancy created by James Paxton's season-ending elbow injury, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Manager Scott Servais noted Wednesday that the organization will be careful with all of its minor-league arms, especially those on the cusp of the majors, after many went without pitching in official games all of 2020. The Mariners would prefer to have the 23-year-old Gilbert finish out the season at the big-league level as opposed to deploying him at the front end of the campaign and then shutting him down early once he reaches his innings limit.