Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his pitching elbow after being scratched ahead of his scheduled start on Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox.
The Mariners recalled veteran left-hander Jhonathan Diaz from Triple-A Tacoma to start in Woo’s place.
Woo, 24, is 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA, the lowest in team history through the first six starts of a season. However, he has been on a strict pitch count after beginning the season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Woo, who had Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2021, did not throw a bullpen session following his most recent start and manager Scott Servais said the Mariners wanted to skip a start to “give him a blow.”
Servais categorized it as a spot start for Diaz.
“Where does this go with Bryan? We’ll just have to wait and see,” Servais said. “Get some tests done, let the doctors look at it. Hoping to stay away from an IL stint, but we’ll know more here in a day or so. I have no timeline or anything like that.
“He has gone through things like this before, and come out just fine with it. I know he’s a little frustrated. I don’t want to get out ahead of ourselves, just have to wait until we have more information.”
The Mariners also made several moves with their bullpen, recalling right-hander Eduard Bazardo and designating left-hander Kirby Snead and righty Matt Bowman for assignment. The team has also been managing the workload of closer Andres Munoz, who has been dealing with a back injury.
“We’re just in murky waters right now trying to get through this thing best we can,” Servais said. “This is where you’re really going to lean on your depth. It’s why you have other guys in the minor leagues and other places.”
Diaz, 27, was 7-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) at Tacoma. He struck out 67 batters in 66⅓ innings.
Diaz compiled a 2-1 record and 4.84 ERA in 11 appearances (six starts) for the Los Angeles Angels from 2021-23. He signed with Seattle as a free agent in February.