Hudson making progress at Arizona League

PHOENIX -- D-backs right-hander Daniel Hudson threw a scoreless inning in his second rehab appearance for the team's entry in the rookie Arizona League on Saturday.

Hudson is attempting to come back from a pair of Tommy John surgeries. He was just 10 days or so away from returning from the first one last June when he re-tore the ligament during a Minor League rehab outing.

"It's just progressing in the right direction," Hudson said. "I need to get a little bit of command back and feel for a couple offspeed pitches, but for the most part, feeling pretty good. Once I get a few more outings under my belt, I'll feel pretty comfortable out there -- enough to be confident I can get Major League hitters out."

The D-backs have taken things slowly with Hudson the second time around. His mechanics have been tweaked so that he puts less strain on his elbow and the plan for now is to use him as a reliever, hence the pair of one-inning outings so far on his rehab.

"It's a little different than what I'm used to, but it's just throwing a baseball," Hudson said. "It's different mentality, that's for sure, but at the same time, still just trying to get three outs."

Hudson will have two more outings in the Arizona League before likely heading to Triple-A Reno. The plan at this point is for him to make four to six appearances for the D-backs in September. The team will limit him to one-inning stints and watch his pitch count closely.