Kirby Yates Injury: Ready for rehab assignment

Yates (back) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Yates incurred no problems with his back while facing live batters Saturday, so he'll advance to the final phase of his recovery program by embarking on a rehab assignment. The right-hander has been on the shelf since Aug. 1 due to lower back pain but may require just a couple of appearances in the minors before the Dodgers are comfortable bringing him back from the 15-day injured list. Shortly before getting hurt, Yates had factored into the Dodgers' unsettled closer picture, but with Tanner Scott (elbow) tracking toward a return from the IL at a similar date, Yates may be in line for a middle-relief or setup role upon his activation.