Yu Darvish Injury: Set for side session this week

Darvish (elbow) is expected to throw a bullpen session in San Francisco on Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

After experiencing tightness following his minor-league rehab start with Double-A San Antonio on May 14, Darvish was shut down for a couple weeks before he resumed playing catch. According to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Darvish stepped back on a mound Saturday and threw about six or seven pitches at less-than-full intensity, and with that brief workout apparently going well, he'll take the next step forward in his progression by throwing a formal bullpen session. The Padres haven't mapped out a plan for Darvish beyond Tuesday, and though he remains without a clear timeline to make his season debut, the team maintains that he won't require an extended ramp-up period. Cassavell suggests that Darvish may need just one or two rehab starts before rejoining the big-league rotation, perhaps at some point in mid-to-late June.