Mariners’ Taijuan Walker scheduled to make rehab start

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker has been throwing a couple bullpen sessions here and there over the last month in hopes of returning to the active roster/starting rotation.

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Walker was cleared to play catch at the end of April which allowed him to work his way to throwing from a certain distance. He has made a couple Minor League rehab starts since the beginning of the season but was shut down for two weeks with right shoulder impingement back on April 16. The 21 year old right-handed starting pitcher tossed a two-inning simulated game this past Tuesday without feeling any type of discomfort – which is great news for the organization.

He threw a 55 pitch bullpen session last Saturday before the simulated game. Now according to Greg Johns on Twitter, Walker is scheduled to make another rehab start with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday.

The 6’4, 220 pound right-hander is expected to throw at least 75-80 pitches during his outing and could try to close in on 100 next time out. If he’s able to get through the next two appearances without experiencing any discomfort then there’s a very good chance that he rejoins the Seattle Mariners starting rotation during the first week or two of June.