Wilhelmsen (back) progressing toward return

SEATTLE — Mariners reliever Tom Wilhelmsen threw 25 pitches on Tuesday in his first bullpen session since being sidelined by a lower-back issue two weeks ago and said everything felt fine as he works toward rejoining the club sometime in the next road trip if all goes well.

The 32-year-old right-hander will throw a simulated inning against live hitters on Thursday before a decision is made on his return. He will be eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Friday, which is the first day of a six-game trek to Oakland and Anaheim.

“It went well,” Wilhelmsen said. “My back feels good. No setbacks today. Good extension. That’s all you can ask for.”

Wilhelmsen, who has posted a 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings over 22 appearances since re-signing with Seattle in late June, threw a scoreless inning in his last outing on Aug. 25 against the White Sox in Chicago. But he’d sat out the previous three games because of soreness in …

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