SEATTLE — It’s going to be longer than expected before the Seattle Mariners can expect former All-Star right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma to return to their rotation.
Iwakuma won’t throw for 10 days to two weeks after reporting continuing tightness in a strained back muscle that surfaced April 21 — one day after his last start.
“It’s a tough situation,” he said. “I took about a week off, and then I started to throw for about a week. But I still felt something. It’s not pain. It’s more tightness. But we’re making sure that I feel nothing when I throw next time.”
Specifically, Iwakuma has a strained right latissimus dorsi muscle, which connects the arm to the back. The revised timetable makes it unlikely he will rejoin the rotation before mid-to-late June.
“His rehab has not gone as well as we thought it would (go),” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “He’s still experiencing some stiffness. … Anytime you have a lat strain, you’ve got to be careful.
“It just makes sense to back him off.”
Once Iwakuma is judged ready to resume throwing, he will likely follow the normal progression: playing catch, throwing long toss, throwing from a mound, a simulated game or two and at least two minor-league rehab starts.
“I was hoping I would be pain-free or feel nothing,” he said, “by the time I was scheduled to throw. But I was still feeling something inside. It is frustrating.”
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