MILWAUKEE -- Brewers reliever Corey Knebel deemed himself ready to pitch when he rejoined club on Tuesday after a Minor League rehabilitation assignment, but team officials said only that Knebel would be activated from the disabled list "later this week."
After more than two months spent rehabbing a strained oblique, that lack of specificity didn't bother the 24-year-old Knebel.
"I'm just glad to hear my name and 'activated' in the same sentence," he said.
Knebel made four appearances on his rehab assignment, the first two at Class A Advanced Brevard County, followed by back-to-back outings for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Sunday and Monday in New Orleans. He yielded only three total baserunners in those games vs. nine strikeouts.
"The first two were to kind of just find the rhythm and timing, and the last two were great; I put everything together," Knebel said. "Everything went well."
Knebel's return comes about a week after that of left-hander Will Smith, who'd been on the DL with a knee injury. The duo combined for 114 appearances in 2015, with Smith posting a 2.70 ERA and Knebel 3.22.
Worth noting
• Matt Garza (lat) was also back at Miller Park on Tuesday, but he will head back out on the road to make one more rehab start on Thursday. Garza and manager Craig Counsell said the location remained to be determined.
"Still discussing it," Counsell said. "He'll definitely make one [more]. If everything goes well, this will be his final rehab start."
That would put Garza back into the Brewers' rotation next week, probably during a three-game series in San Francisco.
• The Brewers formally assigned Rule 5 Draft pick Zack Jones to Brevard County for a 30-day rehab assignment. Jones, a right-handed reliever, has been on the DL with a shoulder injury. Brewers officials will use his 30-day rehab window to evaluate whether they want to add Jones to the big league bullpen, or offer him back to the Twins.