SEATTLE — With the regular season winding down, the Seattle Mariners are in full push mode as they chase just their second postseason appearance in four years.
On Wednesday, the club bolstered its bullpen by recalling right-hander Emerson Hancock from Triple-A Tacoma. The former sixth-overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft has primarily worked as Seattle’s “No. 6” starter since debuting in 2023. This season, he set career highs with 15 starts, 77.1 innings pitched, and 53 strikeouts, finishing with a 5.47 ERA before being optioned to Tacoma in early July.
Recently, Hancock has shifted to relief work with Tacoma, where he logged two bullpen outings, striking out two, walking one, and allowing a single earned run across two innings. He also touched 99.1 mph, the hardest pitch of his professional career.
Seattle has no defined role for Hancock out of the bullpen, but manager Dan Wilson said the team plans to test him in different spots.
“It’s not mapped out,” Wilson explained pregame Wednesday. “At this point of the year, we have to use every arm available. Where we use him will depend on the game situation, but having that kind of arm down there is exciting.”
Hancock’s velocity spike could be a difference-maker. As a starter, his fastball averaged 94.6 mph (54th percentile, per Baseball Savant), but shorter stints could allow him to consistently live in the upper-90s. His background as a starter also gives Seattle the flexibility to deploy him for multi-inning appearances when needed.
“He’s shown he can go out there and just let it fly,” Wilson added. “Some pitchers thrive in that role, so it’ll be interesting to see how this transition plays out. Maybe this is where his future lies.”
Hancock may get his first shot in relief Wednesday afternoon when the Mariners wrap up their series against the San Diego Padres at 1:10 p.m. PT.
