Major League Baseball

Bedard may not debut until late June

Published May. 20, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Mariners are tempering their optimistic hopes for Erik Bedard's return.

The Mariners had been so excited about Bedard's progress that they had raised the possibly of him returning this month. But he had a setback last week when he felt discomfort while throwing 30 pitches in a simulated game.

The left-hander will play catch Saturday. The team is looking at then sending him to its spring training facility in Arizona to throw at least two bullpen sessions and two simulated games before he'd start a rehabilitation assignment in mid-June.

The Mariners had moved Bedard from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day list, retroactive to the start of the season.