Nestor Cortes Injury: Closing in on bullpen sessions

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said May 30 that Cortes (elbow) is doing well while playing catch off flat ground and could soon begin throwing bullpen sessions, MLB.com reports.

After being diagnosed with a left elbow flexor strain and placed on the injured list April 6, Cortes was shut down for about a month before he was cleared to start playing catch. The Brewers have seemingly been pushing him through his throwing program slowly, as he still has yet to step back on a mound nearly a month after he started flat-ground tossing. The veteran southpaw will need to throw multiple bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions before he's cleared to head out on a rehab assignment, so he shouldn't be expected to return from the injured list until around the All-Star break.