Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is worried that there might be some ... light bribery happening in his clubhouse.

It's the only explanation he could conjure as to why he's had a nonstop flurry of players, coaches and staff members dropping by his office to inform him of how good Rich Hill has looked throwing the ball in recent days. Baldelli suspects that Hill is recruiting everybody in his orbit to, well, coax the manager in the right direction.

Either way, take that as a good sign as it pertains to the veteran left-hander's condition in his recovery from left shoulder fatigue.

"[Hill has] been so excited we've almost had to fend him off with a stick out of the office to keep him away, because he's so adamant," Baldelli said.

Hill threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, per Baldelli, and is expected to face hitters when the team returns to Minneapolis for a weeklong homestand starting Friday. Soon thereafter, the Twins plan to officially slot him in for a start.

"I think if it were up to him, he'd be starting the first game back, but we're not going to do that," Baldelli said. "We're going to make sure he's built up, he's recovering fine after he throws, and he's ready to go."

Hill has been sidelined since his only start of the season two weeks ago on July 29, when he held the Cardinals to two hits over five shutout innings for his first win as a member of the Twins. His recovery from that start did not proceed as quickly as hoped, leading the Twins to place him on the 10-day injured list. The injury was not believed to be related to the procedure he underwent on his pitching elbow during the offseason.

The 40-year-old's return would finally give the Twins a full rotation of five starters, alongside José Berríos, Randy Dobnak, Kenta Maeda and Jake Odorizzi. They have been running a mixture of spot starts and bullpen games to fill the gaps in the meantime.

On the topic of injury updates, here are a few quick notes:

RHP Littell (left hamstring strain)
Baldelli expects that Zack Littell will be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's series opener against the Royals.

"He's even been doing some shagging in the outfield and running around a little bit," Baldelli said. "His arm's always been in great shape, so that's not an issue at all."

RHP Bailey (right biceps tendinitis)
Homer Bailey had not been throwing following his Aug. 2 placement on the 10-day IL, but the veteran right-hander is now back to playing catch.

"It was very positive," Baldelli said. "We're going to stay on the throwing program and see where he is in a few days. We'll see him when we get home. So it's nice to see him with the ball back in his hand."

3B Donaldson (right calf strain)
There still isn't a noteworthy update in Josh Donaldson's progress as the third baseman continues to work toward ramping up his activity for high-end agility, lateral movement and sprinting. That progress will largely be responsive to how Donaldson's right leg feels.

Twins to hold 'Women in Baseball Operations' roundtable
The Twins will continue to celebrate diversity throughout their organization on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CT, when the club will hold an online roundtable highlighting the experiences and contributions of women around their front office.

There will be five panelists: senior manager of international administration and education Amanda Daley, assistant strength and conditioning coach Andrea Hayden, player development analyst Rachel Heacock, amateur scouting coordinator Brit Minder and director of baseball administration Kate Townley. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey will provide an introduction before he hands the reins to Dr. Jaimie Rubin, the moderator, who provides sport psychology services at Premier Sport Psychology in the Twin Cities.

This roundtable will follow a similar discussion from July that highlighted Black members of the Twins' front office, during which the organization unveiled its new front office fellowship program, aimed at bringing people from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds into the world of the baseball front office.

Twins tidbits
• Left-hander Devin Smeltzer celebrated his 14th anniversary of being declared cancer-free on Aug. 12, 2006. The 24-year-old battled pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma when he was 9 years old and has devoted much of his professional career to supporting and raising funds for pediatric cancer patients through his "Catch Cancer Looking" initiative.

• Infielder Ildemaro Vargas has arrived in the Twin Cities, a club spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. The Twins acquired Vargas in a trade with the D-backs on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations. Vargas is expected to be added to the 28-man active roster when the Twins return home at the conclusion of this road trip Wednesday night.