Mariners activate Choi, place Paxton on 60-day DL

ST. PETERSBURG -- With his 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy now complete, first baseman Ji-Man Choi was activated from the suspended list Monday by the Mariners, and he was transferred from Triple-A Tacoma to Double-A Jackson.

Choi needed to be added back to the Mariners' 40-man roster, so left-hander James Paxton was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list to make room. Paxton already has missed 60 days since going on the DL on April 9 with a strained lat muscle in his left shoulder, so the move doesn't affect when he'll return.

Paxton is currently rehabbing the injury that cropped up after his first Minor League rehab start with Tacoma, and he is just starting to throw again, meaning he's likely at least several weeks from rejoining the Mariners if all goes well.

"He's throwing, progressing, getting better," manager Lloyd McClendon said prior to Monday's series finale against the Rays. "We'll get an update when we get home and see where he is."

Taijuan Walker, the Mariners' other rehabbing young hurler, is making his third rehab start for Tacoma on Monday evening at Memphis as he works his way back from a shoulder issue.

Choi, 23, was hitting .394 with one home run and five RBIs in 10 games for Tacoma when he was suspended without pay on April 17 after testing positive for methandienone, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.