Seattle Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma allowed one run on five hits over 5⅔ innings in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.
Sidelined since April and on the disabled list with a strained lat muscle, Iwakuma struck out six and walked one in Tacoma's 8-4 win against Las Vegas.
The 34-year-old left the mound with two outs and one on in the sixth inning after bursting a blister on his finger but said it was only a minor issue and that he felt ready to make a return to the majors.
The former Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace has pitched in just three games in the majors this season and is 0-1 with a 6.61 earned run average.