TORONTO -- A trip to see renowned arm specialist Dr. James Andrews often means bad news is coming for a pitcher. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, that wasn't the case for starter Shaun Marcum, who had his sore right elbow examined by the doctor in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday.

Andrews confirmed what Toronto had already determined, that Marcum was suffering from strained ligaments around the elbow and forearm. The injury wasn't deemed to be of extreme concern, considering Andrews gave Marcum the go-ahead to begin a throwing program as soon as Saturday.

There's still no established timetable for Marcum's return, though he's eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list in time for Toronto's July 4-6 road series against the Angels. It's more likely that the Blue Jays will take extra precaution with Marcum's comeback, meaning he could be sidelined until around the All-Star break.

On Saturday, when Marcum was placed on the DL, Blue Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg indicated that the 26-year-old pitcher had been dealing with some minor discomfort for the past couple weeks. Marcum didn't believe it was serious enough to stop pitching, but Toronto finally opted to have him checked out.

"He kept taking the ball and wanted the ball, and we kept guarding it," Arnsberg said. "We knew that if we gave him the option, if we needed to shut him down, we would definitely do that, but he didn't feel like it was any concern. So, we just kept going."

In 15 starts this season, Marcum has a 5-4 record, but his 2.65 ERA is the third-best mark in the American League and the sixth-lowest among starters in the Majors. Marcum also leads the AL with a .198 opponents' batting average and is second on Toronto's staff with 86 strikeouts.

With Marcum sidelined, the Jays need to promote a pitcher to start against the Braves on Saturday. The top candidates to replace Marcum from Triple-A Syracuse include left-handers John Parrish and David Purcey, along with righty Kane Davis. Parrish is 10-0 with a 2.83 ERA, Purcey is 6-5 with a 2.42 ERA and Davis is 6-6 with a 3.30 ERA at Syracuse.