What was unfortunately evident near the end of the Seattle Mariners’ 6-0 win Thursday night is now official: veteran reliever Trent Thornton has a torn left Achilles tendon, effectively ending his season.
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The Mariners announced the news with a roster move Friday afternoon, placing Thornton on the 15-day injured list. Taking his place on the active 26-man roster is fellow right-handed reliever Jackson Kowar.
Thornton had thrown 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with two strikeouts Thursday when Rangers outfielder Adolis García hit a grounder that first baseman Josh Naylor had to go way towards second base to field.
It had a chance to be the final out of the game, but as Thornton broke from the mound to cover first base, he stumbled and hit the ground, immediately grabbing for his left ankle. After García made it to the bag safely, Thornton tried to get up and walk but could not keep any weight on his left leg.
The game was paused for several minutes while a cart came out to take the 31-year-old Thorton off the field. The Mariners then turned to Casey Legumina to record the final out.
Thornton has a 3.68 ERA, 1.299 WHIP and 32 strikeouts to 14 walks over 42 1/2 innings in 33 games for the Mariners this season, which is his third with the team. He was strong in 23 games in 2023 for Seattle after coming over from the Toronto Blue Jays, posting a 2.08 ERA and 1.077 WHIP that year. He was a key member of the Mariners bullpen last year, too, with a 3.61 ERA and 1.134 WHIP in 71 appearances.
This is the second trip to the IL this year for Thornton, who also missed time for appendicitis.
Kowar, 28, returns to the Mariners from Triple-A Tacoma. A first-round MLB Draft pick in 2018 by Kansas City, he came to the Mariners after the 2023 season in the trade that sent Jarred Kelenic and Marco Gonzales to the Atlanta Braves. He missed all of last year while he recovered from Tommy John surgery to repair a torn right UCL suffered in spring training.
The Mariners have turned to Kowar in nine games this season, including a spotless two-inning outing on Tuesday against the Athletics. He has a 1.54 ERA, 0.857 WHIP and nine strikeouts to four walks over 11 2/3 innings. Kowar has also made 16 appearances in Triple-A.
The Mariners play Game 2 of a four-game series against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m., with radio coverage on Seattle Sports beginning at 6 with the pregame show.
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