SEATTLE -- The Mariners chose not send Dee Gordon out on a Minor League rehab assignment, instead reinstating the veteran second baseman from the 10-day injured list directly to the big league club prior to Saturday’s game against the Rays.

Rookie utility man Ryan Court was optioned to Tacoma to open a spot for Gordon, who had been sidelined since July 23 with a left quad strain.

The 31-year-old Gordon has hit .280 with 16 stolen bases in 77 games this season, but has missed 33 games during two stints on the IL with a bruised left wrist and the quad strain.

Court, who made his MLB debut on July 26 as a 31-year-old rookie, hit his first home run in Friday’s 5-3 loss. He batted .235 with five RBIs in 17 at-bats in eight games, while filling in at both first base and the outfield.

Haniger nears rehab assignment

Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger, sidelined the past 10 weeks by a ruptured testicle, is tentatively slated to begin a Minor League rehab stint on Tuesday with Class A Advanced Modesto, manager Scott Servais said Saturday.

Haniger is expected to need a week or more of games to regain his timing and conditioning, but that would potentially have him on line to rejoin the Mariners toward the end of their upcoming nine-game road trip or after they return to Seattle on Aug. 23.

He’ll likely hook up with Triple-A Tacoma when the Rainiers return from a road trip in New Orleans on Aug. 15.

• Center fielder Braden Bishop, who had surgery on a lacerated spleen about the same time as Haniger got hurt in early June, is on the same basic schedule and could also begin a rehab stint early next week, though Servais wasn’t sure where he’d be headed yet.

• Reliever Dan Altavilla, who has been sidelined five weeks by a strained right forearm, will begin a rehab stint on Sunday with Class A Short Season Everett. He’s expected to throw an inning and will likely need at least three or four outings before any potential return.