What Seattle Mariners' Wilson said on Gilbert's rehab start

Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson said that ace Logan Gilbert “felt great” and “there’s nothing lingering” Thursday morning after making his second rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma the night before.

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Gilbert, who was sidelined in late April with flexor strain in his right elbow, tossed 60 pitches (38 strikes) over three-plus innings in the Rainiers’ 5-4 win over the Las Vegas Aviators. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two.

Gilbert was removed after he hit the only batter he faced in the fourth hitting. His four-seam fastball regularly sat between 95-96 mph for most of the night, touching 96.8 mph in the first inning. But the velocity dipped in the fourth with both four-seamers he threw clocking in at 93.7 mph.

“I think he felt good about his velo and where he was,” Wilson said. “So I think, all in all, another good rehab outing for him. And again, (we’ll) just continue to reassess and keep putting his plan together.”

Gilbert threw 45 pitches over 1 2/3 innings in his first rehab start May 29.

There was no update on when Gilbert will return, but Wilson called Wednesday night’s outing an important one in assessing when that could be.

When asked if there was anything specific he needed to see for Gilbert to come back, Wilson reiterated the importance of the way his ace was feeling the day after the outing.

“He’s a veteran. He knows himself and knows where he needs to be, and he feels really good about it,” Wilson said. “So to me, that’s really good to hear.”

General manager Justin Hollander said last Tuesday that there was not a specific timetable on how long of a rehab stint last year’s MLB leader in innings pitched would need.

“Sort of how much volume he needs to build in the minor leagues will be to be determined based on how he feels and … how it goes,” Hollander said.

When Gilbert does return, that will likely mean Emerson Hancock will be sent back down to Tacoma. Hancock has been solid outside of two rough outings over his 10 starts. He tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball on Wednesday. Over his past nine starts, Hancock has a 4.17 ERA.

Wilson said the club still plans to go with a five-man rotation when Gilbert returns and indicated Hancock’s performance will not change that.

“Obviously, it’s been a huge lift the way Emerson has thrown, and (he) has thrown the ball very well, continues to do it, has been consistent with it,” Wilson said. “I think that’s separate from how we’re approaching Logan, and I think we want to make sure Logan’s in a in a good spot when he comes back. That’s the main priority.”

Off day for Williamson

Rookie third baseman Ben Williamson got the day off against Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin on Thursday. Miles Mastrobuoni was in the lineup at third base, batting eighth.

“Just a day off and giving him the chance to get a little bit of a breather today before a long road trip,” Wilson said.

The Mariners face the Orioles in a series finale Thursday at 12:40 p.m. Radio coverage begins on Seattle Sports 710 AM with the pregame show at 11:30 a.m.

What Seattle Mariners’ Wilson said on Gilbert’s rehab start

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