Aroldis Chapman threw live batting practice today for the third time in the past week and reported no problems, so it looks like the Reds left-hander is ready for a minor-league rehab assignment as he comes back from facial fractures following a line drive to the face on March 19.
Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports that Chapman threw 25 pitches, including sliders and changeups, and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Thursday at Single-A.
Chapman indicated that he’ll probably need 4-5 rehab games before coming off the disabled list, which would put his potential return timetable somewhere around mid-May. At the time of the injury initial estimates suggested he’d be out for 6-8 weeks, so Chapman is right on track and perhaps a bit ahead of schedule.