Emerson Hancock dealing with groin injury

Hancock suffered the injury during Friday’s start against the Blue Jays. He’s going to miss at least a couple of weeks. It’s unclear if the Mariners will continue to operate with a six-man rotation in his absence, or if they’ll revert to a traditional five-man alignment.

Concerningly, he struck out just one batter. Most of his improvement this year has been about raising his whiffs from 20.3 percent in 2025 to 23.7 percent in 2026 while drastically raising his strikeout rate. Hancock allowed nine hard-hit balls in this one and batters were all over both of his fastballs. Things figure to get easier next week against what’s left of the A’s in Safeco Field, but this was not the sort of start you watch and think that Hancock got unlucky in.

Hancock struck out six and walked none, but he gave up two homers in the first to account for the runs. While Hancock left with a lead tonight, it didn’t hold up, keeping him 7-7. Still, the Mariners did win in 10 to improve to 12-12 in his starts. He’ll try to get back over .500 next week against the Blue Jays.

Hancock gave up five hits, walked two and struck out eight. He improved to 7-7 on the year with the win. Hancock allowed a run on three hits in the first inning and a solo home run to Christian Vazquez in the second inning. Then he settled in and blanked the Astros for the next five innings. Hancock has a 3.30 ERA on the year. He’s lined up to face the Cubs at home next weekend.

Hancock struck out three and walked one while throwing 64 percent of his pitches for strikes and posting a 10 percent swinging strike rate. The swings and misses have dried up a bit for Hancock, and his four-seamer continues to lose vertical movement, posting just 8.3 inches of vertical break in this one. This is his third straight relatively average start in a row, and you have to wonder if Kade Anderson would be more impactful for Seattle down the stretch.

Hancock tossed a scoreless first inning, stranded two runners in the second, then surrendered three runs on four hits in the third. One of the runs would be ruled as an unearned run following an error. Riley Greene would later take him deep for a solo homer in the fifth. Hancock gave the Mariners one more scoreless frame, ending his day after six innings with six strikeouts. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 3.33 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 108/29 K/BB ratio across 116 1/3 innings into a start against the Rays in Seattle on Sunday.

Passan adds that the sense is that Kirby is available and could be moved prior to Monday’s deadline. He also notes that Seattle has been listening to offer for Emerson Hancock and Luis Castillo. The Mariners have top prospect Kade Anderson knocking on the door of the majors and figure to move at least one, if not more, of their current rotation members. Kirby would net the largest return in any potential trade package, despite holding a pedestrian 3.98 ERA across 120 innings this season.

It’s fair to wonder whether Seattle will wait until mid-August to promote Anderson since that would allow him to remain rookie-eligible for next season. There will be a rotation spot open one they move on from either Emerson Hancock or Luis Castillo ahead of next week’s trade deadline. There’s a chance that both of them are on the move. Anderson has checked every metaphorical box during his professional debut with a microscopic 1.20 ERA and 119/12 K/BB ratio across 82 1/3 innings over 16 starts for Double-A Arkansas. Needless to say, Anderson should be stashed in all fantasy formats. His time is coming.

Three runs in five innings on the road against one of the game’s best offenses probably doesn’t do much for Hancock’s trade value either way. He gave up one homer, though that was hit just 95.4 mph off the bat by Andy Pages. The other runs scored on three straight singles in the third and a single, a double and an infield single in the fourth. A better third baseman than Weston Wilson might have made the play on the last hit in the fourth to prevent the run. Hancock dropped to 6-5 with a 3.26 ERA. If he stays put, he should face the Tigers next Tuesday or Wednesday.

According to Passan, the Mariners are looking to trade a starting pitcher to try and land a right-handed hitter. Since Luis Castillo is owed almost $23 million next season, it’s less likely that he will be traded. Hancock is under team control through the 2030 season and has had a breakout season with a 3.16 ERA in his first 19 starts, with 97 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings. Of course, he has been less impactful of late as his fastball has lost vertical movement, but he has remained a solid source of ratios and innings. He would likely lose some fantasy value if he leaves his pitching-friendly home ballpark.