Mariners' Andres Munoz: Stellar in Cactus League debut
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Munoz (foot) made his official Cactus League debut in Monday's win over the Brewers, throwing a perfect inning during which he struck out the side on a minimum nine pitches.
Munoz's long-awaited Cactus League debut could literally not have gone any better and served as a forceful corrobration of his return to health following offseason ankle surgery. Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports Munoz's putaway pitches consisted of a 100 mph fastball and two particularly impressive sliders, and that he also deployed the two-seam fastball he's been working on getting comfortable with on a couple of occasions. With his first taste of "A" game spring action out of the way, Munoz is likely to log at least several more appearances as he ramps up for Opening Day.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: No Cactus League debut yet
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Munoz (foot) pitched in a B game against the Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex's back fields Thursday as planned, but he's yet to make his Cactus League debut.
Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports Munoz threw 18 pitches and had his fastball sitting at 97-98 mph during his outing against San Diego. However, Munoz also conceded he has some adjustments to make, noting he was "thinking too much about the pitch clock", which caused him to rush his delivery a bit. Most important, there were no reported setbacks with Munoz's surgically repaired ankle, and his next opportunity to make his official Cactus League debut comes Sunday in split-squad action against either the Rangers or White Sox.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Friday debut anticipated
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Munoz (foot) is expected to make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Padres, per the the team's official site.
The flame-throwing right-hander has thrown three successful live batting practice sessions, the most recent unfolding Monday. Munoz underwent foot surgery Oct. 27, but he feels he is starting to approach full health. "I feel pretty good. It's the first time that I faced hitters in a lot of time, so I don't feel as comfortable as I'm supposed to at this point," Munoz said March 10. "But I am getting there. I am getting the feeling of the ball again and working on my pitches."
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Nearing game action
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Munoz (ankle) threw a live batting practice session Friday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports reports.
Munoz will throw one more live batting practice session before making an appearance in a Cactus League contest. The right-hander underwent foot surgery in the offseason, and the team is being conservative to make sure there's no setback. Munoz was dominant in 2022, and while he may not see the bulk of the save opportunities this season, he's the rare reliever who can be relevant in fantasy without them because of his ability to miss bats.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Throws bullpen session
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Munoz (ankle) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
Munoz was immobilized for 12 weeks (six in a cast, six in a walking boot) following surgery shortly after the season to fuse two bones together in his right ankle. However, he began a throwing program a while ago and has now progressed to mound work. Barring any setbacks, the hard-throwing reliever will be ready to roll for Opening Day.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Starts throwing program
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Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday that Munoz (foot) has been out of a walking boot for the past two weeks and has started a throwing program, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz underwent foot surgery after a breakout 2022 campaign in which the hard-throwing reliever post eda 2.49 ERA with four saves and 22 holds across 64 appearances. The 24-year-old should report to spring training with few limitations, if any, and while he may not see the majority of save chances with Seattle to begin the season, his ability to miss bats makes him relevant in several fantasy formats.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Undergoing foot surgery
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GM Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday that Munoz will undergo foot surgery, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
The 23-year-old was a key bullpen piece for Seattle this year with four saves, 22 holds and a 2.49 ERA across 64 appearances, and he'll go under the knife for a foot issue after the loss to the Astros in the ALDS. Munoz surrendered three runs over three innings against Houston, though it's unclear how much, if at all, the injury contributed to his struggles. The specifics of the procedure remain unclear, but the right-hander will have nearly four months to recover ahead of spring training.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Secures fourth save
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Munoz earned a save against the Royals on Saturday, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
Top closer Paul Sewald was deployed in the seventh and eighth innings, giving Munoz the opportunity to handle the ninth. He allowed a one-out single but retired the final two batters to secure his fourth save. Sewald leads Seattle with 19 saves on the campaign, but Saturday was a reminder that Munoz remains a candidate for an occasional closing opportunity. This was his first save since Aug. 25, however.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Takes loss, blown save
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Munoz (2-5) took the loss and blown save during Saturday's 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Guardians, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk in one inning.
Munoz was selected to pitch the eighth inning of a 3-1 game and surrendered three straight baserunners followed by two productive outs to let in three runs and fall in line for the loss. Despite his first negative marks since July 28, the 23-year-old threw only one ball following a leadoff walk, though he failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 11 appearances. The poor outing raised his ERA and WHIP to 2.94 and 0.96 respectively across 52 innings and 51 appearances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Picks up third save
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Munoz did not allow a baserunner and struck out three across 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save Thursday against the Guardians.
Munoz entered the game in the eighth inning with the tying run on base, but he struck out Jose Ramirez to end the threat. He then worked through the final frame with minimal difficulty to pick up his third save of the season. It was Munoz's first save since Aug. 2, and since then Erik Swanson has collected one save and Paul Sewald three. Though Munoz doesn't appear to be in line to serve as the regular closer, he has an excellent 2.47 ERA and 82:13 K:BB across 51 innings on the season.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Secures second win
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Munoz (2-4) recorded the win over the Angels on Monday, firing a scoreless eighth inning during which he allowed two hits and recorded a strikeout.
The flamethrowing right-hander pounded 11 of 13 pitches in for strikes and worked around the two singles he gave up to Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh by striking out Steven Duggar to end the inning. Munoz was then rewarded with his second victory courtesy of the Mariners' wild rally in the top of the ninth inning, and he now boasts an 0.67 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and jaw-dropping 15.7 K/9 in the 27 frames covering his last 24 appearances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: In midst of dominant stretch
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Munoz, who garnered his 16th hold in a win over the Rangers on Friday, has allowed just one hit and boasts a 12:3 K:BB across the 5.2 scoreless innings covering his last five appearances.
Munoz also has three holds and a save during that span, giving fantasy managers in formats that value relievers a significant boost overall. The fireballing right-hander has a 2.72 ERA and 0.93 WHIP for the season, and although Paul Sewald is doing a solid job in the closer's role for the time being, Munoz certainly has the stuff to step into the highest-leverage situations if called upon.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Hit with fourth loss Thursday
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Munoz (1-4) took the loss against the Astros on Thursday, allowing two earned runs on one hit, a hit batsman and a wild pitch over one inning. He struck out one.
It was as messy an outing as the final line implies, and Munoz created plenty of trouble for himself while failing to maintain the 2-2 tie he'd been entrusted with. It was a rare hiccup for the flamethrowing right-hander, who'd last given up an earned run June 10, ending a streak of 17 appearances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Continues surge in Wednesday's win
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Munoz recorded his fourth hold in a win over the Astros on Wednesday, firing a scoreless seventh inning during which he allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout.
The hard-throwing right-hander lowered his ERA to 4.66 with his fifth scoreless effort in the last six appearances. Munoz's only real stumble of the season came in a May 22 appearance against the Red Sox during which he gave up five runs (four earned) over two-thirds of an inning, but he's otherwise been a reliable setup option while cranking out an impressive 11.6 K/9 with the help of a fastball that's averaging 99.7 mph.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Hit with loss, blown save Sunday
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Munoz (1-2) took the loss and was charged with a blown save in an extra-inning defeat at the hands of the Red Sox on Sunday, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
Charged with protecting a just-forged 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 10th inning, Munoz ran into immediate trouble by allowing the first four hitters he faced to reach base before eventually yielding a 419-foot, game-winning grand slam to Franchy Cordero. The hard-throwing right-hander's rough outing was his first serious stumble of 2022, as he'd given up five earned runs over 12.2 innings all season prior to Sunday.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Takes loss Saturday
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Munoz (1-1) took the loss against the Mets on Saturday, allowing an earned run on two hits and recording two strikeouts over one inning.
Munoz threw an impressive 15 of 17 pitches for strikes, but he still took the loss thanks to allowing a go-ahead home run to Patrick Mazeika. The hard-throwing right-hander has now allowed an earned run in three of his last five appearances, pushing his ERA and WHIP to 4.22 and 1.50, respectively.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Strikes out side Sunday
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Munoz fired a perfect seventh inning in an extra-inning win over the Rays on Sunday, striking out the side.
Munoz was close to absolutely perfect, tossing just four pitches over the minimum and getting 12 of those 13 offerings into the strike zone. The hard-throwing right-hander had put together six straight scoreless efforts until allowing a pair of earned runs over his last two appearances, so Sunday's stellar showing represented a return to the impressive form he's displayed the majority of the season.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Strikes out side Monday
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Munoz fired a perfect eighth inning in a loss to the Twins on Monday, striking out the side on 13 pitches.
The dominant outing offered a glimpse of what the rocket-armed Munoz is capable of in terms of missing bats. The right-hander now has five strikeouts across two innings over his first two appearances, and given his impressive arsenal, he seemingly could work himself into some closing opportunities over the course of the season.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Grabs first win
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Munoz was credited with the win in a victory over the Twins on Saturday despite allowing two earned runs on a hit and a walk over one inning. He struck out two.
Munoz yielded a leadoff walk to Nick Gordon in the eighth inning before surrendering a go-ahead two-run home run to Byron Buxton. The flamethrowing right-hander settled down after that, retiring Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco in order, the latter two on swinging strikes. His ability to limit the damage would prove critical, as the Mariners were able to mount their own rally in the ninth that would lead to the one-run win. Munoz's ability to focus following his rocky start is likely to help build trust with manager Scott Servais with respect to additional higher-leverage assignments early in the season.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Solid through first two appearances
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Munoz has logged two scoreless innings during which he's allowed one hit and recorded two strikeouts across his first two Cactus League appearances this spring.
The flamethrowing right-hander's arrival in camp was delayed by visa issues, but he's made good use of his scant opportunities thus far. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports that Munoz, who's already the hardest thrower on staff, is also working on refining his slider to reduce the sweep it has at the moment. The 23-year-old, who's logged just five total appearances -- four at the minor-league level -- since 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, should be a key late-inning option for manager Scott Servais in the coming season.
