NEW YORK -- Freddy Peralta and Jimmy Nelson -- two Brewers' pitchers on the recovery trail -- will make their first rehab starts this weekend.

Peralta will start Saturday for Double-A Biloxi against Chattanooga. If all goes according to plan, manager Craig Counsell said he expects Peralta to join the big league club after that start. Peralta has been on the injured list since April 16 with irritation of the SC joint in his right shoulder. He made four starts this season prior to the injury, allowing 14 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings for a 5.79 ERA. Peralta posted a 3.68 ERA in 78 1/3 innings in his rookie season in 2018.

“He’s been feeling really good," Counsell said before Friday’s game. "So I’m optimistic on how he’s feeling, at least up to this point.”

Nelson, meanwhile, will start for Triple-A San Antonio on Sunday. The outing will be Nelson’s first non-exhibition game action since the end of the 2017 season.

His breakout '17 season ended abruptly when he injured his shoulder sliding back into first base on Sept. 8. He missed the entirety of the 2018 season recovering from surgery on that shoulder. Nelson made two spring starts, pitching four innings and allowing three runs (two earned).

The duo's progress is welcome news for the Brewers, whose starters entering Friday's game had compiled a 5.84 ERA, which ranked 26th in the Majors.