George Kirby called the Mariners

To fill a void in their starting rotation, the Mariners will call up top-pitching prospect George Kirby, the team announced Saturday. He makes his Major League debut today against the Rays.

“As the spring went on, he really improved. He became more comfortable,” said Seattle manager Scott Servais. “I talked to him today for a few minutes. ‘You’ll get nervous tomorrow. Just expect it to happen. You know how to handle it, how to work through it – in the end you just have to to rely on your ability. ‘”

Kirby’s promotion comes after the Mariners selected No. 6 prospect Matt Brash for Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday, opening a spot in the rotation. Speculation that Kirby will join the big league club has gradually built up over the last two days and intensified after the right wing was scratched from its start to Double-A Arkansas on Saturday.

As the Mariners plan to turn Brash into an emergency role, Kirby, the team’s No. 3 prospect and No. 30 overall, according to MLB Pipeline, has a chance to make the place his own.

“I told him today that I’m not looking for eight innings out of him tomorrow,” Servais said. “Keep us in the ball game, even if it goes a little hard early. Keep filling up the strike zone. Take your chances.”

So far this year, Kirby has been sensational in the Double-A Texas League, where he has won 2-0 with 1.82 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old comes from a 2021 campaign where he logged a 2.53 ERA over 67 2/3 innings between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas.

Kirby has gradually gained momentum since the Mariners selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Elon. He can now drive his fastball up to 100 mph, transforming what was a low-90s heater into one that is consistently in the 96-98 mph range.