Tampa Bay Rays ace left-hander Blake Snell will make a rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A Durham, manager Kevin Cash told reporters prior to Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Snell has been sidelined since late July after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow.
Cash said the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner will throw about 20 pitches in Saturday’s contest, which is a playoff game for Durham.
Snell, 26, last pitched on July 21, when he struck out 10 and allowed three hits in six shutout innings in a victory against the Chicago White Sox.
Tampa Bay also transferred left-hander Jose Alvarado (elbow) to the 60-day injured list and recalled infielder Kean Wong from Durham.
Alvarado, 24, went 1-6 with seven saves and a 4.80 ERA in 35 appearances.
Wong is batting eighth and playing second base in his big league debut on Thursday night. The 24-year-old batted .307 with 10 homers and 63 RBIs in 113 games at Durham.
“He deserves to be here,” Cash said.