Mariners’ Bryan Woo lands on the injured list again: ‘It just sucks’

ST. PETERSBURG — Bryan Woo’s voice grew quiet and the words didn’t come out easily as he tried to describe his disappointment of returning to the injured list for the second time this season.

Prior to Tuesday night’s game vs.the Tampa Bay Rays, the Mariners placed Woo on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Seattle recalled right-handed reliever Collin Snider from Triple-A Tacoma to take Woo’s spot on the 26-man roster.

In the fourth inning of his start on Monday night, Woo felt the hamstring grab as he fired a first-pitch fastball to Taylor Walls. After discussing the situation with manager Scott Servais and head athletic trainer Kyle Torgerson, Woo attempted a warm-up pitch, but he never actually threw the ball, stopping himself immediately when the hamstring tightened.

“I just didn’t feel like I could push off the way I wanted to,” Woo said on Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve never had any lower body stuff, hamstring stuff. I didn’t really know what was going on. I knew it felt different and didn’t feel like anything I’ve felt before.”

Visibly upset that his body had betrayed him again, Woo limped off the field with Torgerson uanble to hide his disappointment. Even a day later, the frustration of being sidelined again was evident.

“Obviously, it’s been a tough season so far just dealing with injuries,” Woo said. “I finally feel like I’ve got a night where I’m feeling good and the ball is coming out well and the stuff is getting back where I feel it could be, and then you know,” he said. “It just sucks.”

Seeing the frustrated reaction from his young starter and seeing the dejection about his situation, Servais met with Woo on Tuesday morning.

“I talked to him about it earlier today,” Servais said. “These things happen. Sometimes it’s out of your control. He is a young player and he’s learning at this level what he needs to do to keep rolling and trying to stay away from some of these soft tissue injuries, but some things you can’t control.”

Woo was told by the team’s medical staff that the strain was “lower level,” giving him and the team some hope of a return after the 15-day minimum.

“No definite timeline, but the reports from the trainers and medical people were pretty positive in the fact that he can be back pretty quickly,” Servais said.

The Mariners hope that Woo will be able to continue playing catch and keep his arm active as the hamstring heals.

“That’s the key,” Servais “You don’t want to shut down your throwing. He won’t be coming down the slope anytime soon, but you’ve got to keep throwing and keep that going.”

Snider will give a bullpen that has been used heavily on this road trip, including Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Rays, a fresh arm for some depth.

The Mariners are still evaluating their options for replacing Woo in the rotation and when they might do it. With offdays on Thursday and Monday, they could skip Woo’s turn in the rotation, which would come on Sunday vs. the Twins.

“We do have some off days coming up, which helps in a number of areas, but certainly with the rotation, so we’ll take a look at that,” Servais said. “It’s really important to give these guys the extra (day off) if you can, but have two off days that are pretty close so hopefully we can use them to our advantage.”

If they skip Woo’s spot, Luis Castillo, who started Tuesday night vs. Tampa would stay on regular rest and pitch Sunday vs. the Twins.

In the long term, the Mariners will likely turn to either right-hander Emerson Hancock or lefty Jhonathan Diaz to take Woo’s spot in the rotation. Veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel, who was also pitching well for Tacoma, was traded to the Brewers on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.

This story will be updated