SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners placed right-handed pitcher Carlos Vargas on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right lat strain and recalled right-handed pitcher Cole Wilcox from Triple-A Tacoma.
Vargas, 26, did not appear out of the bullpen for Seattle in Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The third-year reliever broke camp with the Mariners out of spring training after going 5-5 with a 3.97 ERA last season, but manager Dan Wilson said Vargas felt something off with his lat and informed the team.
“We don’t really know too much more about it for a couple of days as we’re assessing it,” Wilson said. “But, obviously tough. Injuries are always tough. And so, we’ll just hope for the best.”
Vargas appeared in 70 games in 2025, which only trailed fellow relievers Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo.
Wilcox, 26, was acquired from Tampa Bay in November in exchange for cash considerations after he made his major league debut with the Rays last season.
In his only appearance in 2025, gave up three earned runs across an inning. Wilcox told The Associated Press that experience has allowed him to adopt a different mentality if he plays for the Mariners.
“It’s like, ‘OK, just going out ready to compete now’ instead of trying to get everything under your belt,” Wilcox said. “It’s there, so now you just worry about trying to get outs.”
Wilcox primarily throws a high-90s sinker and a slider that sits in the high 80s, both of which the Mariners saw plenty of in spring training. In cactus league games, Wilcox posted a 4.32 ERA across 8⅓ innings with 11 strikeouts and four walks.
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