Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish, placed on the 15-day disabled list since Monday due to tightness in his neck and shoulder, played catch on Friday for the first time in six days and came away untroubled.
"It went totally fine," said Darvish, who started off by throwing light balls to a trainer before throwing 40 from around 12 meters out using the official balls used in the majors.
Pitching coach Doug Brocail cited insufficient follow-through in the right-hander's pitching form as one of the reasons for the shoulder tightness. No time scale has been set as to when he will resume pitching practice.
The 29-year-old complained of stiffness around his right shoulder in a game against the Houston Astros on June 8, and was replaced after five innings.
He skipped his scheduled start against the Oakland Athletics on Monday after experiencing discomfort while playing catch two days earlier, but an MRI exam found no significant damage to his right shoulder.
Darvish, who missed the entire 2015 season after undergoing a Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, is 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA in three games since he returned to the major league mound in late May.