Morrow makes progress in rehab outing

TORONTO -- Right-hander Brandon Morrow took another step forward in his rehab by tossing one scoreless inning for Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday night.

Morrow entered in the eighth inning of Buffalo's 3-0 win over Rochester. He threw 11 of his 14 pitches for strikes and didn't strike out or walk a batter.

The 30-year-old hit 97 miles per hour on a couple of occasions but went almost exclusively with his fastball. Morrow should be able to lean heavily on that pitch when he returns to the Majors, but will also need to refine his slider even in a bullpen role.

It's not immediately clear what the next step will be for Morrow. He'll likely receive the day off on Sunday, but could then appear in Buffalo's final game of the regular season on Monday afternoon vs. Syracuse.

The Blue Jays will then have to decide if he's ready to return to the big leagues as a September callup or whether Morrow will need more work on the side. When Morrow returns, it will be as a reliever -- because there isn't enough time remaining in the season to get him stretched out as a starter.

Morrow has been on the disabled list since he suffered a torn tendon sheath in his right index finger on May 4. He is 1-2 with a 5.93 ERA in six starts this season.