Blake Snell Injury: Cleared for rehab start Thursday

Snell (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Snell resumed facing hitters last week and is set to pitch in a game Thursday for the first time since he went down with left shoulder inflammation in early April. The southpaw is expected to throw two innings for Rancho Cucamonga and will continue to build up from there while moving on to higher-level affiliates as he eyes a return to the Los Angeles rotation. His return could happen before the end of July if all goes well.