Mariners plan to shift to six-man rotation next week when Bryan Woo returns

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jerry Dipoto loves it here.

He and his wife, Tamie, got married in Kansas City and held their wedding reception at Kauffman Stadium, in a suite overlooking left field.

On the road with the Mariners for the start of this 10-game trip, Dipoto also loves what he’s seen from his club here the past few days.

Loves it enough to start to dream about what this team could look like in an October playoff push.

“When we’re healthy, our one through six in the starting rotation … can pitch with anybody in the league,” the Mariners president of baseball operations said in an interview Thursday outside the Kauffman Stadium visitors clubhouse.

Because of season-ending injuries to veteran left-handers Robbie Ray and Marco Gonzales, the Mariners have had to turn to three rookie starters, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo and Emerson Hancock, to stabilize the starting rotation.

And in an attempt to keep those young arms fresh – and healthy – Dipoto said the club is making plans to shift to a six-man rotation next week.

“Our starting pitching is as good as it’s ever been,” Dipoto said. “We just have to figure out how to manage it.”

An extra day’s rest, he said, should also benefit the Mariners’ top three starters – Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert – as they carry the bulk of the workload in the final six weeks of the regular season, and perhaps beyond.

Having that sixth starter should also help a Seattle bullpen that has been stretched thin in recent weeks.

“Our young pitchers have performed so far beyond what could possibly have been expected,” Dipoto said. “Now we find ourselves in a pennant race, and they need help. … And when I say they need help, they’re doing just fine, but we want to make sure they continue to be just fine.”

The Astros shifted to a six-man rotation earlier this month, something they also did for a stretch late last season.

Woo, who landed on the injured list with forearm inflammation last week, threw a max-effort bullpen session on Thursday morning at Kauffman Stadium. Presuming he feels well in the next couple days, Woo is expected to be activated early next week and start one of the three games against the White Sox in Chicago.

Dipoto said the club has discussed various scenarios for how to deploy a six-man rotation. They could use all six to start one or two turns through the rotation, and then “piggyback” Woo and Hancock on the same day, with Woo potentially starting and throwing four or five innings and Hancock coming out of the bullpen to throw a few innings after that.

With three off days in September, Dipoto said they could reconfigure the rotation down the stretch again.

“We control our own destiny,” Dipoto said. “We sit a game back (entering Thursday) in the playoff race. We have a schedule over the course of the next three or four weeks where, if we do our job, we should come out OK.

“… It’s a pitching staff that, I think, is built to do well in the postseason. We have to get there, and we have to get there healthy.”

Crawford in line for rehab appearance

Shortstop J.P. Crawford, as of Thursday morning, remained in concussion protocol in Seattle. He is making progress but is not yet cleared, Dipoto said.

The Mariners hope Crawford can make a rehab appearance in Everett this weekend and potentially rejoin the Mariners later on this road trip in Houston or Chicago.

Kelenic out of walking boot

Jarred Kelenic was able to remove his walking boot on Wednesday.

“Which, for him, is probably the equivalent of getting out of a cage,” Dipoto said.

Kelenic broke a bone in his left foot a month ago after kicking a water cooler in the dugout. He has been rehabbing at the Mariners’ complex in Arizona, and will ramp up his baseball activity.

Dipoto expects Kelenic will be back with the team sometime in early September.

“We’re as optimistic as you can be that he is going to come back and contribute,” he said.