Bryce Miller set for season debut as Mariners begin 6-man rotation experiment

HOUSTON - Last time here, with some 25 family and friends in the stands, Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller pitched what might have been the best game of his professional career, twirling seven shutout innings of two-hit ball against Astros on Sept. 23, 2024.

Miller is eager to get back on a mound - any mound - for his delayed season debut, but he's especially thrilled that he gets to do it here, close to home.

"It's good to be back in Texas. I enjoy pitching here," Miller said sitting inside the Daikin Park visitors' dugout on Tuesday afternoon. "I like a little humidity here and there, a little bit of sweat. It'll be good to see the family, to be able to have them here for the first one will be good and get back on track."

Miller will make his season debut Wednesday against the Astros, which also begins the Mariners' experiment with a six-man starting staff that will last at least one turn through the rotation.

Luis Castillo is scheduled to start Thursday's series finale in Houston.

After that, the Mariners will decide whether to stick with the six-man rotation or, more likely, have Miller and Castillo combine in a piggyback situation next week, with each asked to pitch three or four innings in the same game.

For now, Miller is glad to be back in the mix, a little more than two months after a spring-training oblique strain landed him on the injured list.

"I don't think it matters if it's Year 1 or Year 4 for me now, or Year 10, I think it's natural to have (some jitters) the first couple times out," he said. "It's always fun pitching against Houston. I grew up watching them close to home, and it'll be fun. Should be pretty amped up and ready to go."

The 27-year-old from New Braunfels, Texas, missed half of the 2025 regular season because of a bone spur in his pitching elbow, and when he was available he turned in a disappointing 5.68 ERA across 18 starts.

He rebounded with three strong starts in the postseason, posting a 2.51 ERA across 14.1 innings against Detroit and Toronto.

"I felt great and just (hoped) to carry that momentum - the original plan was to carry it to spring training, but now we're here, he said. Now it's time to pick up where we left off and just go out and compete and have fun. And now that we're healthy, it's a lot more fun to pitch feeling good than with nagging issues. Glad we're past all that."

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 11:42 PM.