Harrison begins rehab assignment

ARLINGTON -- Pitcher Matt Harrison will officially begin a 30-day rehab assignment on Thursday night when he pitches for Double-A Frisco against Northwest Arkansas. Harrison is expected to throw four innings and 65 pitches as he continues to recover from two back and one non-throwing shoulder operations from last year.

"The most important thing is to make it through healthy," Harrison said. "From that point, get my pitch-count up and have all my pitches; throw my fastball down in the zone and get my off-speed over, get back to what I know I can do. My body feels great; my arm feels good so I want to stay on the same path. It's progressing well. I feel like I'm back to my normal self."

Harrison, who needed surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, will likely need to make at least four starts before he is ready to be an option at the Major League level. The earliest he is likely to return to the rotation is April 23.

Derek Holland, who had microfracture surgery on his left knee on Jan. 10, won't return until June at the earliest, threw 25 pitches off the mound on Wednesday. It was his first time throwing off the mound since the surgery. He will continue his throwing program in Surprise, Az., on Saturday.