TORONTO -- Indians pitching coach Carl Willis is excited about the progress Andrew Miller is making after the 33-year-old reliever threw a bullpen session on Thursday afternoon prior to the series opener at Rogers Centre.
"Carl came in, he was all smiles," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "[Carl said] the ball came out hot. That was welcomed news. He threw 20 pitches, now we've got to see what's next."
The plan is for Miller to throw another bullpen on Saturday before he's evaluated further.
"He's going to have to throw a few more times for sure," Francona said. "Depending on how he feels, we're going to give him the amount of reps that we think best prepares him."
Miller has been out since Aug. 29 when he was placed on the disabled list for the third time this season. He's posted a 3.38 ERA across 24 innings this year, his worst season since becoming a reliever in 2012.
Donaldson homers again
Josh Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in his first game with the Double-A Akron RubberDucks on Wednesday.

It was Donaldson's second Minor League game since coming over from the Blue Jays on Aug. 31. He went 1-for-2 with a grand slam in his Triple-A debut for the Columbus Clippers on Monday.
"It's still nice to see a guy look healthy and swing the bat the way he does," Francona said. "He'll work out today and then he'll play again tomorrow."
Brantley nursing foot injury
Michael Brantley was not in the starting lineup on Thursday as he nurses a left foot injury he sustained in the third inning of Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Royals.
"He hit that ball off the top of his foot yesterday," Francona said. "He finished off the game OK, but he got on the flight and it got stiff, so we'll give him tonight [off] to kind of let the trainers do their stuff, but he'll be fine."
Brantley hit .330 with a .405 OBP over his previous 30 games dating to the start of August.