There’s still one massive question looming over the Seattle Mariners right now: When will starting pitcher Bryan Woo next take the mound?

And there’s still no clear answer.

Seattle Mariners have big advantage in ALCS that stands out

Woo was Seattle’s most-effective pitcher throughout the regular season, yet he hasn’t pitched in a game in nearly a month due to right pectoral inflammation.

The Mariners added the right-hander back to their roster for the American League Championship Series after he was left off it for the ALDS. The expectation was that he could pitch at some point later in the series, which now appears to be Game 5 or beyond since Seattle has already named its Games 3 and 4 starters, barring a surprise appearance out of the bullpen.

When asked if there were any new updates on Woo on Tuesday – a day before the series shifts back to Seattle with the M’s up 2-0 on the Toronto Blue Jays – manager Dan Wilson said his All-Star starter is “getting close.”

“All reports have been good, as we had expected, and (he) continues to make his progression,” Wilson said. “Obviously, the live (at-bats Monday) was a big step for him. He felt pretty good yesterday. I think he’s going to get out and throw a little bit today. Getting him back, one of the guys that has really led this staff this year, obviously, will be huge for us, whatever that looks like as we get into the later part of this series. But getting him back and getting him healthy is the key.”

Woo has recently hit a couple of important benchmarks as he works his way back from the pec injury. He threw a bullpen session prior to Seattle’s ALDS Game 5 win Friday, and Monday he tossed a live batting practice to Mariners hitters before Game 2 of the ALCS in Toronto.

Everyone on hand to watch the Woo live BP pic.twitter.com/JGOZnCxQc5

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) October 13, 2025

“The live went great. I think just slowly trying to build over the last couple weeks, like I said, do it the right way,” Woo said Tuesday. “Obviously, frustrating not being out there, but everything looks good, feels good so far. I’ll be ready to go whenever my name gets called.”

If Woo does get his name called in the ALCS, he’s expected to be on a limited pitch count. He’ll also go from not pitching in a game since Sept. 19 to pitching the biggest game of his life. Players typically get a chance to go on a rehab assignment before returning to major league action, but that’s not the case in the postseason.

“I think it’s just taking your reps throughout the week as serious and as game-like as you can,” Woo said of making the jump to pitching in a playoff game. “Usually (you have) the rehab starts to kind of fine-tune things, but you just kind of convince yourself you don’t really have a choice. You got to just come out and have everything ready to go. If it’s not, then you just figure it out.”

Not many batters have been able to figure out Woo this year. He posted a 2.94 ERA while piling up career highs of 196 strikeouts and 186 2/3 innings pitched in the regular season. His 21 quality starts were tied for fourth in all of baseball, and he put together a remarkable run of 25 consecutive outings with at least six innings pitched.

The Mariners find themselves just two wins away from the World Series despite missing that sort of production from their rotation. Woo said he has tried to focus on being the best teammate he can be while dealing with the frustration of not being on the field.

“Obviously, nobody wants to get hurt, especially at the timing that it was,” he said. “As frustrating as it is, you still have a choice to be the best teammate that you can be, put the rest of it aside, handle your business before the game. But once it’s game time, be the best teammate you can be. Make a choice to make a positive impact on the game somehow, and that’s all you really can do.”

Woo said he didn’t have a number in terms of what percent he’s feeling but that he’s itching to get back in a game.

“I’ve done everything that I can the last couple weeks to handle my business in the training room, in the weight room, on the field, everything that I can control,” he said. “I kind of put the rest in the hands of the trainers and coaches and whatnot. So luckily we have a great staff that I trust with the rest of it, and the rest of it, I kind of just have to let go. Now I’m just ready to go.”

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