Wade LeBlanc returns, Matt Festa leaves

The neat sportsman is back, you guys.

As was widely expected, Wade LeBlanc has returned from his month-long stint on the injured list. The lefty had been his usual self through his first three starts, putting up a 4.18 FIP over sixteen innings, and should bring a little more stability in a Seattle rotation that has been knocked around lately. Wade was dealing with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, which Google classifies as “moderate”. Obliques can be notoriously tricky to properly heal and recover, but LeBlanc’s rehab start on Monday went smoothly, and he should be all good to go for the rest of the year.

Reliever Matt Festa was the other moving part today, coming off the heels of throwing two innings last night while surrendering one run. It’s not surprising that he was the one to go given his extensive outing and that the Mariners had been carrying nine relievers, but it has to be a bummer for Festa. He induced six swinging strikes on just 28 pitches in Friday’s game - easily a season best - and his command looked much improved from his first stint with the big club this year. With seemingly every bullpen spot in flux lately, though, don’t be surprised if we see Festa riding the shuttle back to the bigs sometime in the next few weeks.