SAN FRANCISCO -- Josh Collmenter is making progress in his rehab from shoulder inflammation, and the D-backs right-hander could be ready to rejoin the team during the first week of May.
Collmenter, who saw his velocity dip this spring, was placed on the disabled list prior to Opening Day.
"He's going to start pitching in games next week," D-backs manager Chip Hale said Thursday. "So we'll build him up, we'll get him up to about probably three innings, which will take about 10 days. So I would say the start, the first couple of days, of next month he should be ready to come off the DL as long as everything goes smooth."
Collmenter's value to the D-backs the past couple of years has come as a long man out of the bullpen, because he has been able to throw multiple innings and not needed much rest between outings.
That's something the D-backs could have really used at times this year after several short outings by their starting pitchers.
Collmenter's return would allow the D-backs to send Tyler Wagner back to Triple-A Reno, where he could rejoin the Aces' rotation. The D-backs see Wagner's future as a starter and would like to have him continue to develop.