George

Sherrill

Sherrill, sidelined since August 26 with elbow soreness, threw two bullpen sessions over the weekend. If all goes well Tuesday, the veteran southpaw could make an appearance in the instructional league.

Sherrill hasn’t pitched since the Mariners’ Opening Day series in Japan, but his injury woes date back to last season. The Mariners will go with Charlie Furbush and Lucas Luetke for left-handed relief in the short-term. An official timetable for Sherrill won’t be established until after the surgery.

He’s out for the year and may just decide to call it quits. Sherrill hasn’t pitched since the Mariners’ Opening Day series in Japan. The veteran southpaw had a 3.00 ERA in 36 innings last year for the Braves and agreed to a one-year, $1.1 million contract with Seattle in December. He lasted 1 1/3 innings. The Mariners will go with Charlie Furbush and Lucas Luetke for left-handed relief in the short-term.

It sounds like Sherrill’s elbow problems from late last year have crossed over to the start of the 2012 season. The 34-year-old southpaw has allowed four runs on six hits over his first 1 1/3 innings, so obviously something isn’t right. The timeline for his return isn’t yet known.

A sore elbow has held him back thus far in camp. Hishashi Iwakuma will start Monday against the Padres, with Sherrill following him. “I’m eager to get in there and see how it holds up, facing somebody besides our own guys,” Sherrill said. “But at the same time, I need to be smart and make sure I’m hot and warm and not trying to throw a million mph.”

Sherrill should now be cleared to begin a normal throwing routine. He was brought along slowly this winter after coming down with elbow inflammation late last year.

Sherrill and the Mariners should have some news to pass along in the next day or two. As of now, there is no definitive timetable for the lefty’s return to the M’s ‘pen.

Sherrill spent the first four seasons of his career with the M’s before being shipped to Baltimore as part of the Erik Bedard deal. He bounced back from a rough 2010 to post a 3.00 ERA while striking out over a batter per inning in 2011 with the Braves.

The M’s are just being cautious in the early days of camp, as Sherrill won’t need many innings to get ready for the start of the season. The 34-year-old left-hander posted a 3.00 ERA and 38/12 K/BB ratio over 36 innings with the Braves last season, though he didn’t make a single appearance in September due to left elbow inflammation. Assuming he’s healthy, he should open the season as Seattle’s left-handed specialist.

It’s a one-year contract, thought to be worth around $1.1 million in base salary. Sherrill, 34, posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 36 innings in 2011 for the Braves while holding left-handed batters to a .256/.275/.333 slash line. He’ll serve a lefty specialist in 2012 for Seattle.