SEATTLE -- Right-handed reliever Evan Scribner, who has been sidelined all season by a strained lat muscle behind his right shoulder, was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Thursday and will be available in the bullpen for Friday's series opener with the Angels at Safeco Field.
To make room on the 40-man Major League roster, the Mariners transferred right-hander Nathan Karns from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL. Karns has been out since July 30 with a lower back strain.
Scribner, 31, made eight Minor League rehab appearances, including his last four for Triple-A Tacoma. He posted a combined ERA of 6.48 in 8 1/3 innings at four levels as he worked his way back. Scribner allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings for Tacoma.
Scribner was acquired from the A's last December after going 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA in 54 appearances for Oakland in 2015. He had 64 strikeouts with just four walks in 60 innings, leading all MLB relievers with his 16-to-1 strikeout ratio and 0.60 walks per nine innings. But Scribner missed the final month of the year with a strained lat and then ran into the same issue early in Spring Training with Seattle..
In five seasons with the Padres and A's, Scribner is 5-2 with a 4.21 ERA with 134 strikeouts and 27 walks in 147 2/3 innings over 125 games.
Karns hasn't been able to throw since injuring his back in late July. The 28-year-old was acquired from the Rays last offseason and opened the season in the Mariners' rotation before being moved to the bullpen in July. Karns was 6-2 with a 4.56 ERA in 15 starts, then posted an 8.78 ERA with one save in 13 1/3 innings over seven relief appearances.