PEORIA, Ariz. — Entering Sunday, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller hadn't thrown on the mound in over a week because of a left oblique injury.

The fourth-year Mariners right-hander was shut down after his first Cactus League start Feb. 26 and received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to help speed up the process.

The injury wasn't considered serious by Seattle's top brass but the team still opted for  a cautious route in efforts of avoiding a potential re-aggravation of the same injury down the line.

Miller hit the mound Sunday for a "touch-and-feel" session — essentially a controlled, light bullpen.

The former Texas A&M product threw 20 pitches at what he described as "80%." Miller said after the session that he felt good and didn't have any discomfort in his oblique.

"Just (trying to do) all my spins," Miller said after the session Sunday. "Getting 15, 20 pitches on the slope and not feeling anything was the main thing. I want to obviously throw more and a normal bullpen and throw harder and all that. Just trying to limit the build-up. ... Make sure we do it the smart way."

At his self-described 80% capacity, Miller was in the 90-92-mile-per-hour range with his velocity. He maxed out at 94 mph his final pitch of the session.

"It's a good spot," Miller said. " ... It's kind of boring, because I like to just let it rip. But, once again, trying to be smart with it."

Miller entered this season looking to bounce back from a down 2025 that was plagued with injury.

The 27-year-old posted a 5.68 ERA and struck out 74 batters in 90.1 innings pitched last year. He was limited to just 18 starts due to two stints on the injured list: right elbow inflammation that was caused by a bone spur.

Miller opted to forego surgery this offseason and was touching the upper-90-mph range in his offseason workouts.

Miller said after the session that the next step for him will be a midweek bullpen that will feature 25-30 pitches at "higher intent."

Seattle's last spring training game takes place at 12:10 p.m. PT on March 23 against the San Diego Padres, giving Miller just over two weeks to potentially return to game action before the regular season begins against the Cleveland Guardians on March 26.

If Miller is unable to ramp up in time for the end of spring, he might have a brief stint on the injured list to begin the year.

Regardless, Miller's light bullpen session Sunday was a good step in the right direction.

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!