Mariners to make decision soon on Carp

ST. PETERSBURG -- Mike Carp's 20-day rehab stint with Triple-A Tacoma ends on Monday, so the Mariners will either need to make a roster move to bring him back or have him sit on the 15-day disabled list without playing.

Carp was hitting .218 in 14 games with Tacoma through Saturday. Is he ready to return from his shoulder issues?

"He should be," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's been playing a lot of first base. We'll wait to the very end to completely evaluate and make a decision, but he's been playing a lot of first base and getting a lot of ABs and that's what you're looking for. We'll evaluate and make sure he's healthy at the end and go from there."

With first baseman Justin Smoak continuing to hit below .200 for the Mariners, it's possible Carp could be in line to replace him. But Wedge wasn't tipping his hand on any move Sunday.

"I don't want to speculate on that," he said. "I want to take it day by day. We'll see how today goes and take it from there. Obviously we've got a lot of moving parts. We optioned [Stephen] Pryor yesterday, I want to see how [Franklin] Gutierrez's exam goes tomorrow, we have to get [Erasmo] Ramirez out. And Carp is obviously ahead of that. We'll just take it day by day and see what happens."

Gutierrez will see doctors in Seattle on Monday as he continues having post-concussion headaches three weeks after getting hit in the head with a pickoff throw. Ramirez, also on the 15-day disabled list with a strained elbow, will throw a bullpen Monday in Seattle and then likely start for Tacoma on Wednesday.