Wilhelmsen (elbow) played catch Monday and hopes to throw a bullpen session soon, Shannon Drayer of 710 AM ESPN reports.

Wilhelmsen remains about 10-to-12 days away from a return to the big league roster, but it's still encouraging that he was able to get through Monday's session without incident. He'll head to Triple-A Tacoma for a rehab assignment before rejoining the major league team.

Wilhelmsen (elbow) is probably 10 or 12 days away from returning, the Seattle Times reports.

Wilhelmsen, who has a hyperextended right elbow, will go to Triple-A Tacoma for a short rehab stint before returning.

Wilhelmsen (elbow) will begin a throwing program Friday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was hoping to start up with his throwing last week but was delayed a bit longer than expected due to the hyperextended elbow. Wilhelmsen is slated to return to mound work during the team's road trip next week before likely embarking on a short rehab assignment.

Wilhelmsen (elbow) hopes to resume throwing by the end of the week, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Wilhelmsen admitted that he suffered the hyperextended elbow while swinging his arms in an attempt to loosen up. It doesn't sound like the right-hander is overly concerned about the injury, and if he's able to begin a throwing program before the weekend, he might not be out for much longer than the 15-day minimum.

Wilhelmsen was placed on the 15-day DL on Monday with a hyperextended elbow, Shannon Drayer of 710 AM ESPN reports.

Wilhelmsen had been ruled unavailable Sunday with the injury, though it's unclear when he sustained the setback as he pitched 1.2 innings in Friday's loss to the A's. Dominic Leone was recalled to the big league club in a corresponding move and figures to fill in a similar role in Wilhelmsen's absence.

Wilhelmsen has been slowed by a sore back so far this spring, but will make his first Cactus League appearance in Wednesday's game, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports.

He is set to work in long relief for the Mariners this season, and could therefore log a few wins, but in general his lack of elite swing-and-miss stuff will limit his fantasy potential.

Wilhelmsen is set to work in long relief for the Mariners this season, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The former bartender-turned-closer served primarily as a versatile multi-inning setup man in 2014, turning in an impressive 2.27 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 72:36 K:BB ratio over 79.1 innings. Those strong numbers will likely allow Wilhelmsen to assume more than simply mop-up duty for the Mariners, but it still seems unlikely that he'll be well-positioned for picking up holds in most of his outings. In addition, it no longer appears that he's second in line for closing duties behind Fernando Rodney, as the gig would likely be passed on to Danny Farquhar if Rodney were to miss time with an injury.

Wilhelmsen lost his arbitration case and will make $1.4 million in 2015, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Wilhelmsen had proposed a $2.2 million salary figure, which would have been nearly five times as much as he made last season. The arbitration panel felt that number was too high even for a player who posted a 2.27 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 79.1 innings last season. However, Wilhelmsen is just in his first year of arbitration and should be in line for a big raise next winter if he's able to come close to repeating last year's numbers.

Wilhelmsen started Thursday's game at Toronto, giving up two runs and two hits in 1.1 innings. He issued a pair of walks and struck out one, tossing 37 pitches.

Wilhelmsen doesn't have a lot of starting experience, getting just the second nod of his career, so he obviously wasn't stretched out. He's posted good numbers out of the bullpen this year, although he hasn't worked in a lot of high leverage situations, with only eight holds and one save, which was of the three-inning variety.

Wilhelmsen will start Thursday against the Blue Jays, Bob Dutton of The News Tribune reports.

Wilhelmsen has made just one start in his career, earlier this season, but will get the nod on Thursday. He's had a very good 2014 season, posting a 2.10 ERA in 55 appearances.

Wilhelmsen struck out three and walked one while tossing 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn his second win of the season Saturday against Boston.

In July, there were whispers that Wilhelmsen might be needed for a spot start, but he'll likely remain in a long relief role instead, as the Mariners have been getting good returns from Chris Young -- Saturday's start notwithstanding.

Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said Sunday that Tom Wilhelmsen is an option to start for the Mariners on Tuesday.

McClendon also acknowledged that bringing someone up from the minors to make that start was also a possibility. Erasmo Ramirez is the most likely candidate in that scenario. While Wilhelmsen has a good arm, until he's stretched out and added to the rotation on a permanent basis, he should be avoided for fantasy purposes.

Tom Wilhelmsen is making his first major league start on Thursday afternoon against the Twins.

The career reliever is not expected to last longer than a couple of innings in what will be a true bullpen game for Seattle. Wilhelmsen picked up a three-inning save at the end of June and threw two perfect frames on July 5 against the White Sox, so he's a decently-conditioned option for this type of outing. The 30-year-old right-hander owns a 2.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts in 47 innings this season.

Tom Wilhelmsen picked up a three-inning save Monday in the Mariners' 10-4 win over the Astros.

Wilhelmsen had already pitched three innings on two occasions this month, so tonight's outing was no big deal for him. From an ERA standpoint, the former closer has bounced back in a big way this year, coming in at 2.60 in 45 innings. However, his 38/22 K/BB ratio is a far cry from 2012's 87/29 mark in 79 1/3 innings.

Tom Wilhelmsen (back) is available to pitch Monday.

Wilhelmsen hasn't pitched since last Tuesday due to a stiff back, but he's back to normal now. "The Bartender" has thrown three scoreless frames so far this year.

Mariners recalled RHP Tom Wilhelmsen from Triple-A Tacoma.

Wilhelmsen was sent down nearly a month ago, but he unfortunately didn't really figure things out at Triple-A, striking out 15 over 12 innings but posting a 10.50 ERA. The former closer will be used in low-leverage situations for now.

Mariners interim manager Robby Thompson said Tuesday that there are no plans at this time to convert Tom Wilhelmsen into a starter.

Wilhelmsen made the start on Tuesday for Triple-A Tacoma, but it appears to have been in an effort to just get in some extra work. The righty began his pro career in the rotation but is better suited for relief and that's the role he'll remain in.

Tom Wilhelmsen will start Tuesday for Triple-A Tacoma.

Very interesting. The Mariners aren't calling him a starting pitcher yet, but they want to see how he responds to the role. It's worth noting that Wilhelmsen was primarily a starting pitcher before being called up to the majors in 2011, though he didn't enjoy much success.

Mariners optioned RHP Tom Wilhelmsen to Triple-A Tacoma.

Wilhelmsen was the Mariners' closer just one week ago, but his implosion against the Red Sox last Thursday was apparently the last straw. The 29-year-old has a disappointing 4.37 ERA and 35/26 K/BB ratio over 47 1/3 inning this season. Danny Farquhar is the pitcher to own in his bullpen right now.

The Mariners decided to send down Tom Wilhelmsen after Monday's game against the Blue Jays.

From closer to minor leaguer without even one blown save in between. Wilhelmsen was 7-for-7 saving games since regaining his job, only to lose it again in one ugly four-batter appearance against the Red Sox on Aug 1. He hadn't pitched since, and the Mariners brass must have figured that if the manager doesn't trust him, it makes more sense to get him regular work in the majors than to waste away in the major league pen.