SEATTLE — Seattle Mariners prized left-hander Kade Anderson will make his major league debut Saturday to start against the Chicago Cubs, manager Dan Wilson said Friday.
The 22-year-old Anderson is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and dominated the competition in his first minor league season. Anderson is 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas, striking out 135 batters and walking 13 across 93 1/3 innings.
The Mariners selected Anderson with the third pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU. When he takes the mound Saturday, Anderson will become the first player from his draft class to make his Major League debut.
“So excited about that,” Wilson said. “What an incredible season Kade Anderson has had down at the Double A level. It's extremely exciting to have him here and we're excited to get him on the mound tomorrow.”
It is unclear yet if Anderson will be making a spot start to help Seattle form a six-man rotation or take the place of one of the Mariners’ five right-handed starting pitchers. In early August, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Anderson would start his Major League career as a starter.
“We’re not going to put Kade in the bullpen,” Dipoto said. “He’s the best starting pitcher in the minor leagues.”
There is no obvious candidate for Anderson to replace. After the Mariners traded right-hander Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox ahead of the trade deadline, Seattle was still left with former All-Stars Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo, former first-round pick Emerson Hancock, George Kirby and Bryce Miller.
Woo, who was originally scheduled to start Saturday, left his last outing after 75 pitches due to shoulder soreness. But Woo has remained with the team since his most recent appearance. Wilson doesn't envision an injured list stint for Woo, and at the most, would miss his next scheduled start.
But once again, this puts Seattle into a starting rotation predicament. It's enjoyed an overage of starting pitching options, and at one point during this season, Wilson paired Castillo and right-hander Bryce Miller in a “piggyback” to ensure Seattle’s six starting pitchers were all able to regularly appear in games. This option could potentially return for the club.
“I think we continue to talk about that and see what will make the most sense for us going forward,” Wilson said. “Once we get Bryan (Woo) slotted in, we'll be able to figure out exactly how we're going to proceed there.”
Anderson, who arrived in Seattle Friday, joins the club at a time when it is in need of reinforcements.
The Mariners are 60-68 after the Milwaukee Brewers beat them 7-4 on Thursday. Seattle is 5-9 over its last 14 games, and sits four games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West. Earlier this week, the Brewers beat the Mariners 22-0, which matched baseball's modern-era record for the biggest shutout.
“Where we're at with the season and how we feel like this last month plus of baseball shakes up, and I think Kade is a guy that can help us in that department,” Wilson said.
Seattle won the AL West and reached the AL Championship Series last season.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are 74-54 and hold the top Wild Card spot in the National League.
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