Twins right-hander Joe Nathan made his first minor league rehab appearance on Saturday at Triple-A Rochester and couldn’t have looked better.
According to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the All-Star closer struck out two batters in a perfect inning while touching 93 mph with his fastball. He reported no problems with his surgically-repaired right elbow and will continue progressing toward a late June return.
Nathan will need to appear safely in back-to-back rehab games for Rochester before the Twins feel comfortable activating him from the disabled list. He opened the regular season by allowing 17 hits and 15 runs over his first 15 1/3 innings, but he has the talent to turn it all around in the second half.