Rondon eyeing return to action Tuesday

DETROIT -- Tigers reliever Bruce Rondon let loose in a Sunday morning mound session from the bullpen at Comerica Park. How he feels coming out of that will probably determine whether he'll be available to pitch Tuesday at Target Field.

Rondon hasn't pitched in a game since Sept. 2 against the Red Sox. He spent two weeks without throwing because of tenderness in his pitching elbow, then has spent the past week progressing to the point where he could throw off the mound. He threw all of his pitches Sunday morning.

"He threw good," manager Jim Leyland said.

Leyland isn't talking about his potential postseason bullpen yet, and he bristles at questions that could be hinting toward that. Still, it would be difficult to see the Tigers putting Rondon in the bullpen for a playoff series without him getting back into a regular-season game.

Left-hander Phil Coke, out since the middle of the week with elbow inflammation, played catch Sunday after three days of rest and medication. The results on that were mixed.

"Coke threw hard, but the elbow was a little tight," Leyland said. "I don't know what that exactly means."