De La Rosa could join Angels by weekend

ANAHEIM -- It's been a long, erratic process, but there's finally some clarity with regard to rehabbing relievers Dane De La Rosa and Sean Burnett.

De La Rosa, battling back from irritation in his right s/c joint, has thrown two scoreless outings for Triple-A Salt Lake in the last three days, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said there's "a strong possibility" that the 31-year-old right-hander could rejoin the Angels for their six-game road trip through Toronto and Philadelphia, which starts Friday. De La Rosa will need at least one more rehab outing, however.

Burnett, still recovering from August surgery in his left elbow, has successfully completed a handful of extended spring training outings in Arizona, and Scioscia said it's "very possible" that a rehab assignment will be next for the veteran lefty. But that'll depend on how Burnett bounces back from his most recent outing on Wednesday.

De La Rosa was between 90 to 93 mph with his fastball during his most recent outing on Tuesday, according to the stadium radar gun. That's about where he was in April of last season, though he gradually added fastball velocity as the year went on, and it's much better than the 88.65 mph he averaged when he originally returned from a right forearm strain on April 12.

"He's not that far off," Scioscia said.