Salazar feels great after bullpen session

CLEVELAND -- Danny Salazar appears to have been given the peace of mind he sought after discomfort in his right elbow flared earlier this month. The Indians right-hander resumed throwing off a mound Wednesday and appears on target to come off the disabled list when eligible.
"That's the plan. That's what I'll be pushing for," Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway said prior to Thursday's game against the Angels. "Every indication with him discussing it with us is that he has no anxiety about going out there and letting it go and he feels good, feels great, doesn't feel it at all. That was the goal, so he's ready to go."
Salazar, who was placed on the 15-day DL with right elbow inflammation Aug. 2, threw 25 fastballs in a bullpen session Wednesday with no issues. The righty is next scheduled to test out all his pitches in a mound workout Friday and potentially again Sunday, barring any setbacks.
Through 20 starts this season, Salazar has gone 11-4 with a 3.38 ERA for Cleveland, but he turned in an 8.84 ERA in the four outings leading up to his trip to the shelf. If everything goes according to plan, Salazar would be eligible for activation Wednesday, when the Indians host the White Sox.
• Indians outfielder Michael Brantley (60-day disabled list) was back at Progressive Field on Thursday after meeting with Dr. Stephen O'Brien on Monday at the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York. O'Brien diagnosed Brantley with chronic biceps tendinitis, and the outfielder is currently consulting a team of medical specialists about the next step in his comeback from season-long right shoulder woes.
"I talked to Brant for quite a while," Indians manager Terry Francona said Thursday. "What we're doing now is everybody is putting their heads together, including Mike. He's been a part of this the whole way, as he should be. I would think in the next couple of days, we will have some more definite plans for what he's going to do. It's not just if he has surgery, but what kind of surgery, where, things like that. There's a lot of stuff to work through. We're doing that now."
• Francona noted that right-hander Tommy Hunter, who is on the 15-day DL due to a back injury, is scheduled to begin a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Friday. The manager said Hunter is expected to need multiple rehab games before rejoining Cleveland's bullpen.
• Indians catcher Yan Gomes (15-day DL with a separated right shoulder) was at Progressive Field prior to Thursday's game. Francona said the catcher has resumed some light baseball activities (one-handed flip hitting workouts and receiving drills), adding that "he still has healing to do."