Thornton (abdomen) started a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thornton, who is recovering from appendicitis, tossed 16 pitches and fanned two in a scoreless inning Friday. The 31-year-old veteran right-hander has been on the injured list since May 9, but he's now tracking toward a return to Seattle's bullpen sometime around the first or second week of June. Thornton has a 5.87 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB over 15.1 innings this season, and he'll likely work as a middle reliever once he rejoins the Mariners.