Saunders (oblique) has been pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma due to a viral infection, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports. The illness first surfaced Friday, and with Saunders not making much progress in his return to full health, the Mariners decided to temporarily remove him from the Tacoma roster. Per MLB rules, Saunders will have to wait at least five days before re-starting his assignment at Tacoma, but the Mariners could work around the issue by sending him to another affiliate. Either way, it's likely the Mariners will choose not to activate him until at least Sept. 1, when rosters expand.