Matt

Brash

Andrés Muñoz had this one off after working four times in five days. Brash gave up a homer to Taylor Ward tonight, but he had some margin for error in a three-run game. It’s just the third homer he’s allowed in 43 2/3 innings this season.

With Andres Munoz seeing a heavy workload the past few days, Mariners’ skipper Dan Wilson turned to Brash to close things out with a three-run advantage on Sunday. The 27-year-old hurler was up to the task, needing just 12 pitches (eight strikes) to retire Jake Mangum on a bouncer to short, Christopher Morel on a called third strike and Chandler Simpson on a ground ball to second base. On the season, Brash boasts a 1.16 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 35/12 K/BB ratio over 31 innings while notching three saves and a victory.

Andrés Muñoz was unavailable Friday, so Brash was handed the task of holding a one-run lead. He was more than up to it. While he did work three-ball counts to all three hitters, he was able to finish each one off to pick up his second save of 2025 and lower his ERA to a glistening 1.20 in the process. If Brash ever got a chance to be a full-time closer, he could be among the very best fantasy pitchers in the sport.

Andrés Muñoz hadn’t pitched in a week and it wasn’t at all clear that there would be a save chance tonight, so the Mariners used him in a tie game in the eighth. As it turned out, he picked up the win after the Mariners broke a 5-5 tie by scoring one run in the top of the ninth. Brash then got his first chance to close since elbow surgery and retired Willi Castro, Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader in order. Brash hasn’t allowed a run in 14 1/3 innings since coming off the IL on May 3.

Muñoz came in to close out a 6-5 lead in the 10th, but immediately gave up a run on a single to Jacob Wilson. The run was unearned because it was the inherited runner to open the inning, but it still causes him to blow his first save. This could have been worse as Muñoz loaded the bases with nobody out, but pulled off a magic trick by not allowing another run while striking out the side. There’s a good chance he won’t be available for Tuesday’s contest as he needed 28 pitches to get through Monday’s action. That could put Matt Brash or Gabe Speier in position to vulture a save tomorrow.

Brash was making his first appearance since September 30, 2023 after missing all of 2024 and the first month of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He gave up a groundball single to Jonah Heim, but then struck out Adolis Garcia and got Josh Jung to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Brash isn’t likely to get save chances, but he’s been one of the best swing-and-miss relievers in the sport when healthy. He’s a player to consider in deeper fantasy leagues.

Brash will make his long-awaited return to Seattle’s bullpen after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old righty boasts one of the sharpest sliders in the game and figures to operate in high-leverage spots in short order helping bridge the gap to closer Andrés Muñoz.

Brash, coming off Tommy John surgery, gave up three well-hit balls, but the two grounders found gloves and the double proved harmless in a quick, seven-pitch inning. The two fastballs he threw checked in at 97.1 and 96.6 mph, which is a bit down from the 98.2 mph he averaged in 2023 but still probably good enough to get outs in the Seattle bullpen. He should be activated around the end of the month.

Brash is creeping closer to starting a minor league rehab assignment as he enters the final stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old righty got into one Cactus League contest and should be ready to rejoin Seattle’s high-leverage mix in late April or early May, barring something unexpected.

Brash made his spring debut Monday, and barring a setback, he should join the Mariners pen in mid-to-late April.