Yu Darvish threw a 21-pitch light bullpen session Friday and the Texas Rangers said they expect the right-hander to start on Monday as scheduled against the Oakland Athletics.
In his third start since coming back from Tommy John elbow surgery, Darvish on Wednesday gave up a leadoff homer and came off the mound after five innings with shoulder tightness in the Rangers' 3-1 defeat to the Houston Astros.
He said after playing catch on Thursday that he was "fine."
"He's (Darvish) going through the same things that everybody who has this surgery goes through," Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail, who had Tommy John surgery during his career, was quoted as saying by the Dallas Morning News.
"He is going through the process of getting back into pitching shape. Physical shape and arm shape are still two different things. There are days when you feel something and think 'Did just blow out again?' and then you realize it's just some scar tissue."