MESA, Ariz. – After spending last season rehabbing with the Cubs as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, Kendall Graveman found himself facing his previous club on Sunday in the latest test of his repaired right elbow.

And though he needed to wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and required 46 pitches to get through two innings, the 29-year-old right-hander found some definite positives in his second straight scoreless outing in the Mariners’ 7-3 loss to the Cubs at Sloan Park.

Graveman’s fastball reached 96 mph on the sunny afternoon and consistently sat at 92-95 mph, a good indication that he’s physically ready to fulfill the Mariners’ plans of opening the season with him in the rotation.

“The velo was up a tick,” he said. “I was excited to get back out there. Good crowd and just to get those emotions … my arm felt good today. Thankfully, that’s a good sign. It’s a blessing. It’s been a while since I could say that and this spring I’ve felt good every time.”

The challenge now is smoothing out the wrinkles and finding his rhythm again, 21 months after his last Major League start for the A’s in 2018. The Cubs started their ‘A’ lineup, providing plenty of challenge for the Alabama native.

“I was able to be around some of those guys last year when I was rehabbing, and that’s an organization that has impacted my career and helped me get back to where I’m at now,” Graveman said. “It’s a good lineup and an experienced lineup. That’s pretty much their guys, so it was good.”

Graveman loaded the bases with two outs in the first on a Javier Báez single, Jason Heyward walk and Willson Contreras hit by pitch, but he struck out Jason Kipnis to end that 29-pitch frame and then delivered a 1-2-3 second to complete his day.

“Sometimes you have to work your way out of some jams and just figure out how to compete,” Graveman said. “It’s been a long time, so it was good to kind of hit that switch and get out of this with no runs.”

Graveman has thrown four scoreless innings in his first two starts since signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Mariners as a free agent.

“He settled down and threw better in the second inning,” manager Scott Servais said. “Kendall has a real calm about things. He knows how to make adjustments. But he hasn’t pitched in a while, so he’s going to need to work through that.”

The education continues

Julio Rodriguez, the Mariners’ prized 19-year-old outfield prospect, had a rough time in right field as he couldn’t come up with a blooper on a diving attempt in the right-center gap in the seventh. He then lost a line drive in the sun in the eighth that turned into a triple.

Rodriguez, the No. 18 overall prospect in the Majors per MLB Pipeline, did lace a single in the top of the ninth to go 1-for-2 -- he's 2-for-11 with five strikeouts on the spring.

“It was funny. Julio said, ‘Skip, the sun is really bad out there in right field,’” Servais said. “And sure enough, next inning the ball is hit right in the sun. But he put a good swing on [his single in the ninth]. Again, it’s great experience for these young guys.”

Fellow outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic -- No. 11 overall per MLB Pipeline -- also came off the bench in the sixth and went 0-for-1 with a walk, putting the 20-year-old at 3-for-12 with two walks, two strikeouts and a hit by pitch in six Cactus League games.

First roster move of camp

Right-handed reliever Matt Festa was reassigned to Minor League camp on Sunday, the first of what figures to be a series of moves from the big league camp in the next few days as the club begins whittling down its roster.

Festa, 26, posted a 5.64 ERA in 22 1/3 innings over 20 relief appearances last season with Seattle and a 2.64 ERA in 30 2/3 innings over 23 outings with Triple-A Tacoma. He had yet to appear in a Cactus League game this spring.

Festa was in camp as a non-roster invitee after being designated for assignment on Feb. 3 and then outrighted to Tacoma to open a 40-man roster spot when the Mariners claimed outfielder Jose Siri from the Reds.

The move leaves the Mariners with 70 players in Major League camp, including 29 non-roster invitees and one player -- reliever Austin Adams -- on the 60-day injured list.

News from the medical tent

• Rookie first baseman Evan White ran the bases and did a light workout on Sunday at the Mariners’ complex. He could be back in the lineup for Monday’s game against the Rockies after sitting out four games due to groin tightness.

• Utility man Dylan Moore is feeling better since banging his head into the knee of Reds shortstop Jose Garcia on a stolen base on Wednesday, but he’s still undergoing concussion protocol. Servais said Moore likely won’t return to game action until Wednesday against the Angels.

• Reliever Erik Swanson, slowed by a sore back earlier in camp, has thrown several live batting practice sessions and is now slated to make his Cactus League debut in Monday’s game against the Rockies.

• Two other relievers, Matt Magill and Sam Tuivailala, have been brought along slowly as well due to shoulder soreness. Both are likely a week away from getting into games, which Servais said is plenty of time to get them ready for the regular season if they continue progressing.

Olerud’s daughter passes away

Jordan Olerud, the 19-year-old daughter of former Mariners first baseman John Olerud, passed away this week.

Olerud and his wife, Kelly, have been active in fundraising efforts for special needs children throughout Jordan’s life, as she dealt with a rare chromosome disorder since birth.

Services will be held in Bothell, Wash., this Saturday and donations to their foundation can be made at JordanFund.org.

Up next

Justus Sheffield makes his first Cactus League start and second appearance of the spring in Monday's 12:10 p.m. PT game against the Rockies at Peoria Stadium. Sheffield pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts in relief in his debut on Tuesday against the Brewers. Swanson, Wei-Yin Chen and prospects Wyatt Mills and Joey Gerber are among the relievers slated to throw.