Mariners' Sam Tuivailala: Close to rehab assignment

Tuivailala (Achillies) is close to beginning a rehab assignment, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

After facing a setback earlier this month, Tuivailala is preparing to go on a rehab assignment in the near future. He is returning from a tear in his right Achilles tendon and has not pitched since last August. That said, he will likely need a lengthy rehab assignment but is trending in the right direction for a potential return in late May.