Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish is set to start pitching in the bullpen in the coming days after throwing and playing catch on Wednesday.
Darvish, placed on the 15-day disabled list since June 13 due to tightness in his neck and shoulder, threw around 15 balls to crouching pitching coach Doug Brocail and along the way had a man standing in the batter's box.
"(The pitches from) today allowed me to think I can go reasonably far. I feel I've recovered to a decent extent," Darvish said.
The 29-year-old complained of tightness around his right shoulder in a game against the Houston Astros on June 8 when he was replaced after five innings.
He skipped his scheduled start against the Oakland Athletics on June 13 after experiencing discomfort 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 Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, is 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA in three games since returning in May.