61 Matt Magill RP

Magill (shoulder) returned to Seattle on a minor-league contract Thursday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Magill elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the minors in late October, but he'll wind up back in the Mariners' minor-league system nonetheless. The righty recorded a 6.10 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 10.1 innings this season before being shut down with a shoulder injury which eventually required surgery. He's expected to be ready to go by spring training.

Magill (shoulder) became a free agent Thursday after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma.

Magill struggled in his 11 relief appearances this season, posting a 6.10 ERA in 10.1 innings. He strained his shoulder in late August and wound up requiring surgery. Those two factors don't bode well for his prospects in free agency this winter, though his respectable 3.94 ERA over the previous two seasons could give teams reason to bet on a rebound.

Magill underwent surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday.

Magill was already slated to miss the remainder of the regular season after being transferred to the 45-day injured list. He underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday to aid in his recovery process. He's expected to begin his rehabilitation process immediately and should be ready in time for spring training in 2021.

The Mariners transferred Magill (shoulder) to the 45-day injured list Sunday.

The transaction spells an end to Magill's season, as the Mariners determined he wouldn't have sufficient time to recover from his right shoulder strain before the team wraps up its schedule in late September. Magill was believed to be a candidate to close for the Mariners heading into the season, but he blew both of the save chances he received prior to being shut down with the injury. His move to the 45-day IL opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Seth Frankoff.

Magill was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain Friday.

Magill had a very strong start to the season over his first eight appearances, but he's struggled in recent games. The right-hander gave up two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning, but his injury could help provide an explanation for his recent woes. It's unclear how much time Magill will miss. Zac Grotz was recalled from the Mariners' alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Magill allowed five runs on four hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss versus the Dodgers on Monday.

Magill was the victim of the Dodgers' five-run rally in the seventh inning, and he exited the contest after Enrique Hernandez's two-run homer. Monday was the first time Magill allowed a run this season -- the bad outing put his ERA at 5.19 with a 1.38 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings. The 30-year-old should remain a key part of Seattle's bullpen, but his 16.2 percent walk rate has been a big problem in the early going.

Magill, who's fired seven scoreless innings across seven appearances thus far this season, has succeeded by taking a more aggressive approach and also incorporating more breaking pitches, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I'm really happy for Matt," manager Scott Servais said. "He has two awesome breaking balls. He throws the curveball hard down, and the slider with it. We haven't seen the velocity we saw sometimes last year, but the command of his breaking balls and the late bite to it is really effective."

Magill dealt with shoulder issues during spring training, and just when he was ready to jump into game action, play was paused for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The right-hander also began experiencing issues with the shoulder again while working out in his home during the shutdown, and he's still working on regaining his fastball velocity as a result. Magill is averaging 92.1 mph on his heater, a tumble from last season's 95.2 mph figure. However, he's been able to rely on his slider with success and has thrown it 41.7 percent of the time in 2020, compared to 18.8 percent last season. Like everyone else in the Mariners' bullpen, his role remains fluid, so he could eventually see some save chances after closing out five games successfully at the tail end of last season.

Magill, who fired a scoreless eighth inning during which he issued a walk in a loss to the Rockies on Saturday, has five scoreless appearances to open the season but no save chances.

Magill has allowed just a single hit over five innings overall, although he has issued four walks. The veteran's last three outings have been in Mariners losses, and although his first two appearances of the season occurred in victories, one unfolded in the fifth inning and the other in the eighth. Seattle has just a 5-11 record on the season entering Sunday, so it's not as if save chances have been plentiful; however, it's still noteworthy manager Scott Servais has yet to turn to Magill to close out a game despite the right-hander's impressive stuff and five saves down the stretch in 2019.

Magill, who entered the season in line for save opportunities, worked the fifth inning in his 2020 debut Sunday against the Astros, firing a scoreless frame in which he allowed a hit and a walk while recording two strikeouts.

The 30-year-old was not called on in the first two games of the season, but manager Scott Servais summoned him early with starter Yusei Kikuchi not making it out of the fourth inning and Zac Grotz only utilized to get the last out of that frame. Magill impressively rang up swinging strikeouts of Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman to open his outing before yielding a single and walk to Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa, respectively. Despite his mid-game usage Sunday, Magill could conceivably still see time in high-leverage scenarios while Yoshihisa Hirano (illness) remains out of action.

Magill could see additional closing opportunities with Yoshihisa Hirano (undisclosed) now on the injured list, although manager Scott Servais has said he plans to utilize more than one pitcher in the ninth-inning role, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Magill was already potentially in line for some save chances even if Hirano was available, but the right-hander now stands to possibly see even more time in high-leverage situations than originally planned. The 30-year-old is completely over the shoulder issue that plagued him for part of spring training, and he recorded five saves in seven opportunities in the later stages of the 2019 campaign.

Mariners pitching coach Pete Woodworth confirms Magill, who was dealing with a shoulder injury to begin spring camp, is now healthy, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Magill was on the verge of corroborating his health back on March 12 when spring training was suspended, as that day's cancelled game versus the Reds was to mark his Cactus League debut. The right-hander finished off the 2019 campaign as the Mariners' closer, and despite the offseason arrival of Yoshihisa Hirano to potentially handle some ninth-inning assignments, Magill could line up for his fair share of save chances as well if he remains healthy.

Magill (shoulder) saw what was to be his first Cactus League appearance Thursday wiped out when MLB cancelled all remaining spring training games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The right-hander had been progressively ramping up his activity level after getting a late start to spring, and Thursday was to be his spring debut against the Reds. While he won't have any opportunity to showcase his wares in Cactus League game action, Magill, who finished the 2019 season as Seattle's closer, seems highly likely to nab a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Magill (shoulder) threw against live hitters for the first time this spring in a "B" game on a back field at the Mariners' complex Friday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Magill continued his recovery from early-spring shoulder issues with Friday's outing, which marked an important milestone of his rehabilitation process. Kramer reports Magill turned in a solid effort, giving up just one hit and striking out one over his one inning. If he doesn't report any residual issues over the coming days, Magill could potentially make his Cactus League debut soon.

Magill (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice Friday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Magill has progressively ramped up his activity level after getting a slightly delayed start to camp due to shoulder discomfort. The live batting practice session will be an important step on Magill's path toward making his Cactus League debut, which could follow in short order if his shoulder responds well to Friday's workload.

Magill (shoulder) is at least a week away from throwing in games, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

He entered camp as the slight favorite to open the year as the closer but has been dealing with shoulder tenderness. The expectation is that Magill will be full go by the start of the season on March 26, but manager Scott Servais has already said there will not be a defined closer entering the season.

Magill, who's dealt with some right shoulder tenderness, threw a strong bullpen session Friday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Magill appears to be making consistent progress after starting camp limited by the shoulder issue. The 30-year-old right-hander could be on the cusp of his first live batting practice of spring if he continues free of setbacks.

Magill, who was initially held back to start camp due to minor shoulder discomfort, threw a bullpen session Tuesday without any issues, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Magill finished the 2019 season as the Mariners' closer, a role in which he picked up five saves. The right-hander is considered a leading candidate to open the 2020 season as the main ninth-inning option as well, and despite the shoulder issue putting Magill "a week and a half behind everybody else", he's still set to likely log six or seven outings over the course of the exhibition slate.

Magill gave up two hits in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday against the Pirates to pick up his fifth save.

This was his first save since Aug. 25, although he does have two wins in six appearances over that span. Magill and Anthony Bass should continue to split the save opportunities over the final games of the season.

Magill (5-2) was credited with the win in an extra-inning victory over the White Sox on Saturday, allowing a hit and recording two strikeouts over a scoreless frame.

Magill got through the visitors' half of the 10th on just 11 pitches, eight of which he threw for strikes. The right-handed reliever then was rewarded with the victory courtesy of Omar Narvaez's walkoff home run in the home half of the inning, Magill's second win over his last four appearances. After being unavailable for several days earlier in the month due to a minor back issue, Magill has encouragingly produced scoreless efforts on back-to-back nights and has thrown 24 pitches without any setbacks.

Magill was held out of Seattle's series against Cincinnati due to a sore back, but he's been cleared to return to game action, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Magill wasn't called upon for two save opportunities during the series, though the team has since revealed why. Now that he's been given the green light to return, expect the right-hander to factor back into the ninth-inning mix.