Munoz earned a save against the Angels on Thursday, striking out all three batters he faced in a perfect ninth inning.
After Seattle rallied to take the lead with a four-run ninth inning, Munoz was summoned to slam the door on the Angels. He did so with aplomb, fanning all three batters he faced on 16 pitches. By doing so, Munoz notched a save for the second straight day. He appears to be the clear closer of choice for Seattle with Paul Sewald now in Arizona.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Converts third save
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Munoz picked up the save Wednesday against the Red Sox, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Munoz staked an early claim to the closing job in Seattle following the trade of Paul Sewald. The hard-throwing right-hander logged a pair of strikeouts, setting the Red Sox down in order to close out a 6-3 win. The 24-year-old Munoz certainly has the stuff to succeed in a closing role -- he's generated a 52 percent whiff rate with his slider this season, paired with a 100-mph fastball. Munoz has now converted 3-of-4 save opportunities this season while sporting a 2.81 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB across 25.2 innings.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Possible waiver wire pickups
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I've been shouting from the rooftops that Munoz is the big winner from the trade deadline with Paul Sewald going to the Diamondbacks, but the one place I haven't addressed it yet is in the semi-weekly Waiver Wire column. And clearly I need to given that his roster rate has risen only 14 percentage points since the trade. Maybe his perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts Wednesday will say more than I can, alleviating concerns that manager Scott Servais will return to his by-committee roots. It's only injuries that have kept Munoz out of the closer role this long, from his Tommy John surgery while still with the Padres to his shoulder strain earlier this year. The 24-year-old has an arsenal much like former Mariners closer Edwin Diaz, featuring a fastball that peaks at 103 mph and a slider with better than a 50 percent whiff rate.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: In line for closing role
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Munoz is in line to serve as the Mariners' primary closer following the trade of Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks on Monday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Sewald had logged 24 save chances overall for the Mariners and Seattle is expected to remain a viable wild-card contender for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the potential closing workload Sewald's exit creates should afford Munoz his fair share of save chances, and the hard-throwing right-hander certainly has the stuff -- including a fastball that averages 99.1 mph -- for a ninth-inning role. However, the newfound opportunity comes in the midst of a handful of recent hiccups for Munoz, who's allowed an earned run in four of his last 10 appearances while taking three losses. The 24-year-old has converted two of the three save opportunities he's seen across 24 appearances thus far in 2023, and if he were to struggle as a closing option, fellow right-hander Matt Brash could conceivably be given a look in that role as well.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Takes fourth loss Saturday
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Munoz (2-4) took the loss against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, surrendering an earned run on a hit and a walk over one inning. He also committed a balk.
Entrusted with preserving a 3-3 tie when he entered in his usual eighth-inning slot, Munoz got into trouble immediately by walking leadoff hitter Corbin Carroll, advancing him to second base on a balk, allowing his steal of third and subsequently surrendering a go-ahead single to Dominic Canzone. The Mariners couldn't overcome the one-run deficit in the ninth, marking Munoz's third straight losing decision dating back to July 8. It's been a bit of a rockier month than usual for the hard-throwing right-hander, who's accompanied his five holds and one save in that span with three defeats and a blown save opportunity across 12.1 innings.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Earns second save
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Munoz picked up the save Wednesday against the Twins, working around a hit in a scoreless inning.
With Paul Sewald having pitched in Seattle's previous two games, Munoz was called upon to work the ninth Wednesday. He maneuvered around a leadoff single, closing out an 8-7 win to pick up his second save of the year -- his first since Opening Day. The 24-year-old Munoz had struggled to a 6.10 ERA over his previous 10 appearances (10.1 innings). Still, the right-hander has high-end potential and appears to be the next man up behind Sewald in the Mariners' bullpen. Munoz now sports a 2.82 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and 32:9 K:BB across 22.1 innings this season.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Bounces back with 10th hold
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Munoz secured his 10th hold in a win over the Blue Jays on Saturday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded a strikeout.
The hard-throwing right-hander righted his ship with a sharp 13-pitch outing after having taken his third loss of the season Wednesday versus the Twins. Munoz has now reached double-digit holds for the second straight season, and despite some infrequent hiccups, he's sporting an impressive 2.66 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 13.3 K/9 and 0.4 HR/9 across 21 appearances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Hit with third loss Wednesday
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Munoz (2-3) took the loss against the Twins on Wednesday, allowing an earned run on two hits and two walks over one inning. He struck out one.
The hard-throwing right-hander suffered yet another stumble, marking the third time in his last eight appearances in which he's allowed at least one earned run. Munoz's troubles Wednesday came about due to a combination of some small ball and an error, as he yielded singles to Max Kepler and Willi Castro before Tom Murphy's passed ball allowed Kepler to cross the plate with the tie-breaking run. Munoz still has a pair of wins, nine holds and one save, but he's posted a 6.48 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over the 8.1 innings covering that aforementioned uneven eight-appearance sample.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Bounces back with first win
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Munoz (1-1) got the win against the Rays on Sunday, firing a scoreless seventh inning during which he recorded a strikeout.
Less than 48 hours after a rare meltdown in Friday's loss, Munoz was right back to his usual sharp shelf in Sunday's appearance. The right-hander fired 12 of 16 pitches for strikes, and he's now generated scoreless appearances in 13 of his 14 trips to the mound this season while forging an elite 19:4 K:BB across 13 innings.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Experiences rare stumble
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Munoz (0-1) took the loss against the Rays on Friday, allowing four earned runs on four hits over one-plus inning. He did not issue a walk or record a strikeout.
Both the Mariners as a whole and Munoz in particular saw their nights take sudden ugly turns after encouraging starts. The normally reliable right-hander cruised through his first frame upon entering in the seventh, preserving a 4-4 tie with a 1-2-3 inning. However, Munoz would go on to play an integral role in Tampa Bay's eight-run eighth, failing to retire any of the four batters he faced while directly surrendering two runs and being charged with two more when runners he'd left on base upon exiting eventually crossed the plate. Prior to Friday, Munoz hadn't given up a run since Sept. 29, his penultimate appearance of 2022. Despite the hiccup, the flamethrowing 24-year-old should continue to enjoy plenty of high-leverage opportunities given his track record.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Grabs third hold Saturday
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Munoz was credited with his third hold in a win over the Angels on Saturday, firing 1.1 scoreless innings during which he recorded three strikeouts.
The fireballing right-hander was making his second appearance since being activated from an extended stay on the injured list due to a deltoid strain. As was the case with his return appearance Tuesday, Munoz did not disappoint, getting his four outs on an efficient 15 pitches while pounding 11 in for strikes. Manager Scott Servais took the opportunity to get both Munoz and fellow high-leverage asset Paul Sewald some work in the non-save scenario -- the latter worked the ninth inning. However, the order of their late-inning usage could conceivably be flipped in any given game moving forward considering how effective Munoz already looks despite his long layoff.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Reinstated from IL
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Munoz (shoulder) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
As expected, the Mariners returned Munoz from the 15-day IL on Tuesday, clearing him to return to the big-league bullpen for the first time since April 9. The right-hander has appeared in four games with Seattle this season, tossing 3.1 scoreless frames, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out three batters. The 24-year-old flamethrower will likely step right into a prominent high-leverage role in Seattle's bullpen, though veteran Paul Sewald could have a strong hold on the ninth inning for the time being. Regardless of where he slots in, Munoz figures to be a strong fantasy asset coming off of a 2022 campaign where he produced a 2.49 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with a 13.3 K/9 and 22 holds over 65 frames in 64 appearances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Could return Tuesday
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The Mariners are expected to reinstate Munoz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener in San Diego, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Though Munoz has been on the shelf since April 9 with a right deltoid strain, he's looked as effective as ever since starting a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma last week. He's yet to allow a hit over three scoreless innings, striking out three batters in those appearances while displaying his typical upper-90s fastball velocity. Heading into the season, Munoz was projected to be part of a committee at closer with Paul Sewald, but Munoz may have to settle for a setup role upon his return while Sewald has turned in a 2.96 ERA and 0.90 WHIP this season en route to converting all but one of his 12 save chances.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Cleared for rehab assignment
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Munoz (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz was shut down for a bit following a setback with his right shoulder, but he's been throwing without issue of late and is ready to test himself in a game setting. The Mariners will begin a road trip that begins Friday and runs through June 11, and if all goes well during his time in the minors, the fireballing reliever could be activated from the 15-day injured list at some point during that trip.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Targeting early June return
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Munoz (shoulder) could rejoin the Mariners in early June, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
GM Justin Hollander spoke about Munoz's status Monday, and he noted that after the pitcher threw a light bullpen session earlier in the day, he "told the medical staff this is the best he's felt since spring." Munoz will likely head out on a rehab assignment shortly, and if all goes well, he could rejoin the Mariners during the team's upcoming road trip that stretches from June 1-11.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Resumes throwing
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Munoz (shoulder) resumed throwing on flat ground Thursday after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection earlier this month, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Munoz was given the shot after experiencing a setback with his right shoulder. He's expected to know within the next couple days whether he can progress to throwing off a mound, which could quickly lead to a rehab assignment. Things are trending in the right direction, but the Mariners will go slowly with their prized reliever.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Rehab assignment not coming soon
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Munoz (shoulder) underwent a PRP shot last week, and he won't be ready to go out on a rehab assignment until the end of the month, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz underwent an MRI after not feeling right after his last bullpen session, and the results revealed minor inflammation in his right shoulder. What was originally announced as a minor injury that could only require the right-hander to miss the minimum 15 days has now seen him miss over a month, and it'll be at least another three weeks before he's able to return to the Seattle bullpen. Paul Sewald will continue to see the majority of save chances for Seattle while Munoz recovers.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Timeline hazy
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Munoz (shoulder) does not appear on track to start his rehab assignment this weekend as originally planned, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Manager Scott Servais said Saturday that there are no updates on Munoz's status, but he was supposed to start throwing this week before beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma this weekend, and he hasn't pitched yet. Servais not having an update suggests Munoz is not ready for his rehab assignment, but the whole situation is a little hazy right now due to lack of information. Paul Sewald has allowed a run in back-to-back successful save chances and has a 3.46 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and seven saves in 13 innings while serving as Seattle's primary closer so far this year.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Will throw live BP next week
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Munoz will throw a live bullpen session early next week in advance of a rehab session with Triple-A Tacoma, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Munoz continues to make solid progress in his recovery from a deltoid strain that has sidelined him for a little under two weeks. The right-hander is eligible to come off the injured list before the game against the Cardinals on Sunday, but it sounds like the hard-throwing reliever will be back in a high-leverage role with Seattle a few days later than that at the earliest.
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Mariners' Andres Munoz: Rehab assignment coming
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Munoz (shoulder) will throw off a mound Tuesday and will begin a rehab assignment soon, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
No word yet on when exactly his assignment will begin or how long it will last, but Munoz certainly seems to be trending in the right direction. The 24-year-old reliever is eligible to return from the IL on Sunday.
