He grew up cheering for the Mariners. Now this former BYU star is pitching for them

ARLINGTON, Texas — In June 2026, Michael Rucker pitched in the major leagues for the first time in nearly three seasons, returning with the same team, Seattle, which the former BYU standout grew up rooting for while growing up in Washington state. To date, Rucker, 32, who also made 96 relief appearances for the Cubs between 2021 and 2023, has made 16 appearances out of the Mariners bullpen and is 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

“Ruck has certainly been throwing a lot of back-end innings. He’s found himself in some leverage situations, too. What we’ve seen from him, particularly lately, has been really good stuff. Like I’ve said with all our guys in the bullpen, we like handing the ball to all of them and Ruck particularly lately has really thrown the ball well.”

Seattle manager Dan Wilson on former BYU pitcher Michael Rucker

“Yeah, it’s always a blessing to put on a major league uniform, especially the Mariners uniform in the place where I went to so many games growing up,” Rucker said during a late July road trip to Texas. “To be able to play in front of a home crowd is really a dream come true, something I’ve talked to a lot of friends and family about potentially being able to do. Now getting the chance to is such a thrill for sure.”

Rucker pitched his freshman season at Gonzaga; however, after one season with the Bulldogs, he transferred to BYU. After sitting out in 2014 due to transfer rules, he made 23 appearances (six starts) for the Cougars in 2015, going 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA.

In 2016, the righty made 16 starts, going 11-1 with a 2.73 ERA and one complete game, earning first-team All-WCC honors in his final season in Provo since the Cubs drafted him in the 11th round of the June 2016 Amateur Draft.

And like many former BYU players, he credits former BYU coach Mike Littlewood (2013-22) for helping bolster his confidence.

“I was a transfer from Gonzaga, and he (Littlewood) was the guy that believed in me the most at BYU. He put me in high-leverage situations,” Rucker said. “I was their Thursday night starter because we didn’t play on Sundays. He gave me every bit of confidence to just go out, be myself, do my thing. That’s something I’ll always be grateful for. We (still) text every now and then.”

A different era

One big difference for Rucker compared to today’s student-athletes is that during his college days, there was no transfer portal in place, and he had to sit out a season before being eligible at BYU.

“You needed permission to contact coaches. It was definitely a bigger decision to transfer schools than it is now with all the movement in football and basketball,” he said. “There’s plenty (of movement now) in baseball, too, but it (going to BYU) was one that ended up working out and being the best situation for me to play and pitch in. I loved my time at BYU, (got) drafted from there, and the rest is history.”

One of his Cougar teammates was Daniel Schneemann, who debuted with Cleveland in 2024, while Justin Sterner, in his second season in the Athletics’ bullpen, arrived in Provo right after he was drafted. On June 28, he and Schneemann faced one another in Cleveland with Schneemann coming away with a single.

“In the big leagues, once (we faced each other). We faced each other in the minor leagues a couple of times,” Rucker said of Schneemann. “There’s a level of respect and it’s something you look forward to. It adds a little bit to that dynamic, but between the lines, we want to win. We’re good friends. We have shared experiences and want nothing but the best for each other.”

BYU MLB fraternity

When Rucker was summoned from Triple-A Tacoma in June, it gave BYU three former players in the show at the same time.

“Yeah, it’s cool. We’d love to see more (players from BYU up here) for sure,” he said. “That’s something that Trent (Pratt) is looking forward to. It helps them, helps us just to have that good program and with them going to the Big 12, it’s a little bit of a jump but it’s an awesome recruiting tool.

“I was a transfer from Gonzaga, and he (Mike Littlewood) was the guy that believed in me the most at BYU. He put me in high-leverage situations,” Rucker said. “I was their Thursday night starter because we didn’t play on Sundays. He gave me every bit of confidence to just go out, be myself, do my thing. That’s something I’ll always be grateful for.”

Michael Rucker on his former coach at BYU, Mike Littlewood

“To have people like myself, Schneemann and Sterner that kids are looking at going to BYU can say, ‘Hey, they did it, they had success here and then moved on to the highest level in professional baseball.’ It’s big for them and is awesome for us.”

With the Mariners, Rucker is playing for manager Dan Wilson, a former big-league catcher who also dabbled in broadcasting before becoming Seattle’s skipper late in the 2024 season. And Wilson likes how Rucker has handled whatever responsibilities have been thrown at him thus far. His most recent appearance came July 24 at Texas when he tossed two scoreless frames with three strikeouts in a blowout loss to the Rangers.

“Ruck has certainly been throwing a lot of back-end innings. He’s found himself in some leverage situations, too,” Wilson said. “What we’ve seen from him, particularly lately, has been really good stuff. Like I’ve said with all our guys in the bullpen, we like handing the ball to all of them and Ruck particularly lately has really thrown the ball well.”

A baseball journey

Prior to June, Rucker’s last big-league appearance was on Aug. 23, 2023, with the Cubs at the Tigers. The Cubs designated him for assignment that offseason before trading him to Philadelphia, which DFA’d him in September 2024. After a brief stint in the minors with Washington, he signed a minor league deal with Seattle this past offseason.

“That (Chicago) is where I spent the bulk of my major league career. That’s the organization I was drafted by and have a lot of good memories, good relationships with players, coaches,” he said. “At some point, the game becomes a business, and you move on. That’s just part of it, but I loved my time as a Chicago Cub. When people ask what was my favorite ballpark, day games at Wrigley are hard to beat. T-Mobile (Park in Seattle), I love pitching there as well. It’s home for me.”

No matter where he’s pitched, he knows running into BYU fans is always a strong possibility. “They are (everywhere), absolutely. We had a season ticket holder photo opportunity this past homestand and yeah, there was a good chunk of the fans out there saying, ‘Go Coogs,’ all that stuff,” Rucker said. “We have a BYU Night at some point in August so it’ll be even more fun to see more BYU fans in the house.”

One aspect of returning to the show with Seattle is that the Mariners’ bullpen, being a fairly young group, has given him the opportunity to deliver some sage advice to his younger teammates.

“I’ve done a little bit of everything over the course of my career. It’s really weird to say I’m the oldest guy in the bullpen,” Rucker said

“From that perspective, we’ve got some younger guys and what I bring is a little bit of experience. Younger guys like Cole Wilcox, I just want to be a good resource for them, somebody they can come to with questions. We try to keep it fun, keep it loose. I do my best to come, be prepared and give it my best every day. That’s something that I want to be known for, that no matter what situation, good, bad, indifferent, that I’m the same guy.”

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