BOSTON – One month into his major league career, reliever Shawn Kelley wound up on the disabled list – and worried for a time that the Seattle Mariners would think him a malingerer.

“I felt like I was letting down the team and the people who believed in me in spring training,” Kelley said. “I had ‘Tommy John’ surgery when I was young, but since then, I’ve prided myself on being durable, never getting hurt.

“Then, my first season in the big leagues, this happens.”

“This” was a strained oblique muscle that grabbed Kelly on May 6 and has taken nearly two months to heal. On Friday, he was activated from the disabled list and back in the Mariners bullpen.

Mike Carp, the young first base prospect, was returned to Tacoma to make room on the 25-man roster.

“What Shawn gives us is depth, and that will let us rest some of the guys who have been working so many innings,” manager Don Wakamatsu said. “I’d like to give him a little work before sliding him back into the seventh- and eighth-inning mix.”

A long shot rookie in spring training, Kelley’s high-90s fastball, his demeanor and his command on the mound won him a job out of camp. By mid-April, he was working late in games when Seattle was ahead.

Then, he got hurt.

“The longer it took to get well, the more the team tried to keep the pressure off me by saying I’d be back after the All-Star break,” Kelley said. “My goal was to make it back for this trip, so I guess I halfway met it – I got here for some of it.

“I missed the competition, and I missed being with the team. It can be a little like when you’re a kid, running around the neighborhood with all your friends.

“I only had a month in the big leagues, but I learned so much,” he said. “The time I missed seemed a lot longer than the time I played. I’m just glad I’ve got the whole second half of the season to pitch.”

With his return, the Mariners’ bullpen is now seven pitchers strong – all of them right-handed: David Aardsma, Mark Lowe, Sean White, Roy Corcoran, Miguel Batista, Chris Jakubauskas and Kelley.

Bedard on schedule

Erik Bedard threw a 54-pitch simulated game Friday and, barring further surprises, will start on Tuesday in Seattle against the Baltimore Orioles.

Wakamatsu came away impressed.

“That was as good as I’ve seen him,” Wakamatsu said. “His command, the action on his pitches, the break, the ease with which he was pitching. He looked great.”

The left-hander hasn’t pitched since June 8, when he was sidelined with shoulder inflammation.

Short hops

Felix Hernandez was the American League’s June pitcher of the month, the first time he’s won the award. He earned it, going 3-0 in five starts with an 0.94 earned run average. … For the ninth consecutive season – every year he has played in the big leagues – Ichiro Suzuki has collected at least 100 hits before the All-Star break. The only player with a longer streak since 1954 was Pete Rose, who did it 12 years in a row.

On tap

Seattle continues its series here with a 10:05 a.m. PDT game that will be televised on FSN. Probable starting pitchers: Garrett Olson (3-2, 4.81) vs. Brad Penny (6-3, 4.79).