OAKLAND -- Mariners relief pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen was officially activated from the 15-day disabled list Saturday. The addition of Wilhelmsen brings Seattle's Major League active roster to 32 players.
Wilhelmsen received a full workload on his first day back, too. The right-hander, who was on the DL because of lower back spasms, allowed two earned runs on one hit in one inning of the Mariners' 14-3 win over the A's on Saturday.
"He threw good in the simulated game the other day, he felt fine yesterday," manager Scott Servais said of Wilhelmsen, who appeared in a game for the first time since Aug. 25.
Despite appearing in three consecutive games, Servais also felt like closer Edwin Díaz was readily available Saturday, too, though he did not pitch. Diaz entered the day with the most saves (14) in the Majors since Aug. 1.
Although it can be tough sometimes for Servais to know exactly how his closer is holding up each day, Servais joked that Diaz, 22, will never be honest about how he's feeling.
"He's not wired that way, he wants to pitch every day," said Servais. "I think, for the most part, we've done a good job of protecting him. It is nice to get to the ninth inning and hand the ball to him."
Worth noting
• With a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning Friday night, Servais elected to go to his "special hands team" by putting Guillermo Heredia in right field for Seth Smith. The move mirrored the Mariners' strategy for the past couple weeks, and it also is a reason why Nelson Cruz has been almost exclusively used as a designated hitter lately.
"I just know how important his bat is in the middle of our lineup," said Servais. "Late in the game when we have the lead, we go to our defensive team, and you hate to take the bat out of the lineup. There's nothing wrong with Cruz, just kind of how we're built right now."