ST. PETERSBURG -- The Mariners entered Sunday's game hoping Brendan Ryan could return to the lineup.

But as it turns out, not only is Ryan still a day away from returning, Luis Rodriguez will sit out Sunday's game with an injury, too.

Rodriguez suffered a right elbow contusion after he was hit by a pitch in the second inning Saturday. A day later, he was still feeling the effects.

"[His elbow] was pretty puffy this morning," manager Eric Wedge said. "Range of motion is pretty good, and he has his arm in that bag right now trying to get some of the swelling down."

Wedge is optimistic that Rodriguez will be able to play against Cleveland on Monday.

If Rodriguez does take the field in Seattle's series opener against the Indians, it looks like Ryan will be able to join him.

Ryan has not played since Aug. 3 because of a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder that landed him on the 15-day disabled list. But Wedge said Ryan "should be ready" on Monday.

Despite activating Ryan from the DL Friday, Seattle has taken a cautious approach and had not used him entering Sunday's game. Ryan was available to pinch-hit.

"It's just the swing," Wedge said. "I think he just needs to trust [his shoulder] a little bit more and let it go. No, he's not 100 percent, but at this time of year, there's not too many people that are 100 percent."

Wedge catches up with former coach Zimmer

ST. PETERSBURG -- On Friday, manager Eric Wedge had a chance to relive some of his playing days.

Before Seattle's series opener against the Rays, Wedge spent a couple of minutes during batting practice talking to one of his former coaches -- Don Zimmer.

Zimmer, who is now a senior advisor for Tampa Bay, was Wedge's coach in 1992 with Boston and in 1993 with Colorado.

"We go way back," Wedge said of Zimmer, who started his playing career in 1954. "He's unbelievable. When you get him going, forget about it. I love talking to that guy."

Even though Wedge never did catch on as a catcher in the Majors, Zimmer is not surprised that he has turned into a Major League manager.

"I always had fun with Wedge," Zimmer said. "Nothing surprises me about him becoming a manager because I thought he had the right temperament and he had the knowledge. I thought that he was a good manager when he was at Cleveland. He's got a lot of good young players over there [in Seattle], and from what I hear, they're going to be pretty good."

Worth noting

• Ken Griffey Jr., who resides in Winter Garden, Fla., made a surprise visit to the Mariners clubhouse after Saturday's game.

• Entering Sunday's game, Mike Carp is riding a career-high 19-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 28 consecutive games.

• Entering Sunday's game, Franklin Gutierrez holds the American League record with 755 consecutive errorless chances in the outfield. He has not made an error in 268 consecutive games dating back to Aug. 20, 2009.