"I'm done," a visibly shaken Reitsma said after meeting this afternoon with Mariners medical director Dr. Edward Khalfayan. The doctor recommended Reitsma's fifth elbow surgery — and second in just over a year.

When asked if he meant done for the season or done for his career, the 29-year-old who entered last season as the closer for the Atlanta Braves said, "For the season."

As for retirement, Reitsma, who had a career high 15 saves in 2005 with the Braves, said: "Maybe it's just the card I drew and I go on with life. I don't know.

"That's one alternative, but it's pretty hard to get my mind around that right now. ... Basically, I have a 60-year-old's elbow."

The Mariners placed Reitsma on the 15-day disabled list, but will now be able to free a place on their 40-man roster by moving Reitsma to the 60-day list. Seattle recalled left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith from Triple-A Tacoma.

The Mariners are still trying hard to acquire a proven setup reliever before — or even after — tomorrow's deadline for trading without waivers.

Reitsma was booed off his home field yesterday while allowing four runs and five hits and getting just one out against Oakland. He said he was pitching with pain from essentially bone-on-bone rubbing in an elbow that is missing almost all of its cartilage.

"I've been taking every kind of medicine to calm it down, pain pills," Reitsma said. "I showered 10 to 15 minutes every morning just to get it moving."