Munoz (shoulder) struck out two in a perfect inning, earning a hold in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Padres.
Munoz missed the better part of two months with a shoulder strain. He looked great in his return with a fastball that touched just over 100 mph and four whiffs on 16 pitches. Munoz has given up four hits and a walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings this season, and his usage Tuesday suggests he could immediately resume a high-leverage role. For now, Paul Sewald is the Mariners' preferred closer, but Munoz certainly has the stuff to potentially eke out his fair share of save chances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Reinstated from IL
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Munoz (shoulder) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
As expected, the Mariners returned Munoz from the 15-day IL on Tuesday, clearing him to return to the big-league bullpen for the first time since April 9. The right-hander has appeared in four games with Seattle this season, tossing 3.1 scoreless frames, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out three batters. The 24-year-old flamethrower will likely step right into a prominent high-leverage role in Seattle's bullpen, though veteran Paul Sewald could have a strong hold on the ninth inning for the time being. Regardless of where he slots in, Munoz figures to be a strong fantasy asset coming off of a 2022 campaign where he produced a 2.49 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with a 13.3 K/9 and 22 holds over 65 frames in 64 appearances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Could return Tuesday
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The Mariners are expected to reinstate Munoz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener in San Diego, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Though Munoz has been on the shelf since April 9 with a right deltoid strain, he's looked as effective as ever since starting a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma last week. He's yet to allow a hit over three scoreless innings, striking out three batters in those appearances while displaying his typical upper-90s fastball velocity. Heading into the season, Munoz was projected to be part of a committee at closer with Paul Sewald, but Munoz may have to settle for a setup role upon his return while Sewald has turned in a 2.96 ERA and 0.90 WHIP this season en route to converting all but one of his 12 save chances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Another scoreless rehab outing
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Munoz (shoulder) fired a scoreless fourth inning during which he issued a walk and recorded a strikeout in Triple-A Tacoma's loss to Sacramento on Friday.
Munoz's second rehab appearance saw him fire eight of 15 pitches for strikes and put together another scoreless outing. Rainiers play-by-play broadcaster Mike Curto reports the right-hander threw 10 sliders and five fastballs, with the heater sitting between 97 and 99 miles per hour. Munoz's velocity is clearly in formidable shape, lending credence to the notion he may need only a couple more outings at most on the farm before being deemed ready for activation.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Solid in first rehab appearance
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Munoz (shoulder) fired a perfect fourth inning in Triple-A Tacoma's loss to Sacramento on Tuesday, recording two strikeouts.
The hard-throwing right-hander was finally able to jump back into game action after hitting the injured list back on April 9. Munoz fired 12 of 19 pitches for strikes and seemed to have his trademark swing-and-miss stuff in strong form judging by his pair of punchouts. Given the length of his absence, Munoz is slated for multiple rehab appearances with the Rainiers before being deemed ready for activation.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Cleared for rehab assignment
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Munoz (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz was shut down for a bit following a setback with his right shoulder, but he's been throwing without issue of late and is ready to test himself in a game setting. The Mariners will begin a road trip that begins Friday and runs through June 11, and if all goes well during his time in the minors, the fireballing reliever could be activated from the 15-day injured list at some point during that trip.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Targeting early June return
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Munoz (shoulder) could rejoin the Mariners in early June, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
GM Justin Hollander spoke about Munoz's status Monday, and he noted that after the pitcher threw a light bullpen session earlier in the day, he "told the medical staff this is the best he's felt since spring." Munoz will likely head out on a rehab assignment shortly, and if all goes well, he could rejoin the Mariners during the team's upcoming road trip that stretches from June 1-11.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Resumes throwing
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Munoz (shoulder) resumed throwing on flat ground Thursday after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection earlier this month, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Munoz was given the shot after experiencing a setback with his right shoulder. He's expected to know within the next couple days whether he can progress to throwing off a mound, which could quickly lead to a rehab assignment. Things are trending in the right direction, but the Mariners will go slowly with their prized reliever.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Rehab assignment not coming soon
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Munoz (shoulder) underwent a PRP shot last week, and he won't be ready to go out on a rehab assignment until the end of the month, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz underwent an MRI after not feeling right after his last bullpen session, and the results revealed minor inflammation in his right shoulder. What was originally announced as a minor injury that could only require the right-hander to miss the minimum 15 days has now seen him miss over a month, and it'll be at least another three weeks before he's able to return to the Seattle bullpen. Paul Sewald will continue to see the majority of save chances for Seattle while Munoz recovers.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Rehab assignment coming soon
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Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Saturday that Munoz (shoulder) is still finishing up his throwing program at the team's spring training complex, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz did not embark on a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend as had been the hope, but Hollander says that should happen "fairly soon." He threw two days ago without issue and has not suffered any sort of setback in his recovery from a deltoid strain. It sounds like Seattle is just practicing a little caution with the hard-throwing reliever and that he remains on track to return sometime in early-to-mid May.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Timeline hazy
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Munoz (shoulder) does not appear on track to start his rehab assignment this weekend as originally planned, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Manager Scott Servais said Saturday that there are no updates on Munoz's status, but he was supposed to start throwing this week before beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma this weekend, and he hasn't pitched yet. Servais not having an update suggests Munoz is not ready for his rehab assignment, but the whole situation is a little hazy right now due to lack of information. Paul Sewald has allowed a run in back-to-back successful save chances and has a 3.46 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and seven saves in 13 innings while serving as Seattle's primary closer so far this year.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Will throw live BP next week
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Munoz will throw a live bullpen session early next week in advance of a rehab session with Triple-A Tacoma, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Munoz continues to make solid progress in his recovery from a deltoid strain that has sidelined him for a little under two weeks. The right-hander is eligible to come off the injured list before the game against the Cardinals on Sunday, but it sounds like the hard-throwing reliever will be back in a high-leverage role with Seattle a few days later than that at the earliest.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Throws off mound Tuesday
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Munoz (shoulder) threw off the mound Tuesday at around 80 percent effort in advance of a rehab assignment, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
Even while operating at less than full strength, Munoz was still able to hit 98 mph with his heater. The hope is that the right-hander can get in one or two rehab games before being activated off the injured list. Once back with the Mariners, Munoz should operate in high-leverage situations while seeing plenty of save chances for the rest of 2023.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Rehab assignment coming
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Munoz (shoulder) will throw off a mound Tuesday and will begin a rehab assignment soon, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
No word yet on when exactly his assignment will begin or how long it will last, but Munoz certainly seems to be trending in the right direction. The 24-year-old reliever is eligible to return from the IL on Sunday.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Plays catch Friday
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Munoz (shoulder) played catch prior to Friday's game against the Rockies and felt no pain or discomfort, the team's official site reports.
The fireballing reliever continues to enjoy a smooth stint on the injured list, helping corroborate an earlier MRI that suggested his strain was minor. Munoz will continue to do some light throwing while sidelined but appears to be a strong candidate to be activated when first eligible.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Could start throwing this week
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Munoz (shoulder) told reporters Monday that he could start throwing as soon as Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz was placed on the 15-day injured list before Sunday's game with a right deltoid sprain. The right-hander mentioned that he has struggled to bounce back after outings and that this is more precautionary than significant injury. The Mariners will take caution with their best reliever, but it does sound like he'll be back in the late innings for Seattle shortly after he's eligible to come off the injured list.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Placed on injured list
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Seattle placed Munoz on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right deltoid strain, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Mariners manager Scott Servais said that Munoz hasn't been bouncing back well from his most recent relief appearance Friday and needs a short break. The right-hander felt something in his shoulder and underwent imaging, and now he'll be shut down for a few days before being re-evaluated. While Munoz is out, Paul Sewald should see the majority of save chances for Seattle, but Matt Brash could also get looks in the late innings.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Registers save versus Guardians
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Munoz picked up the save in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Guardians. He allowed two hits and no walks or strikeouts in a scoreless frame.
Paul Sewald handled a scoreless top of the eighth inning with the game tied 0-0 and the 6-7-8 hitters in the Guardians' order due up. After the Mariners scored three times in the bottom of the frame they turned things over to Munoz, who pitched around a single and a double. It was a rare outing without a strikeout for the right-hander -- he had just 14 of those last season among 64 appearances -- but his velocity was fine as he maxed out at 100.6 mph. Seattle figures to give both Munoz and Sewald save opportunities, but if one of them stakes a claim to the full-time closer job, it'll probably be Munoz.
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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.
