Bednar (back) will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday in what is likely to be his final outing before being activated from the 15-day injured list, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander began the rehab assignment last week, and Monday will be his third appearance with Indianapolis. Bednar has been sidelined by the back injury since late July, but he's on the cusp of rejoining the Pirates for the final stretch of the season. He's 17-for-21 in save chances with a 2.70 ERA this year, and he figures to reclaim the closer role from Wil Crowe once reinstated.

Bednar (back) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Indianapolis, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After missing more than a month of action with a back injury, Bednar is ready to get back up on the bump. It's unclear how many times he will throw in the minors before being activated from the injured list, but his return should not be far off.

Bednar (back) will require a rehab assignment prior to returning from the injured list, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bednar threw live batting practice Saturday and will ultimately need to spend some time in the minors before he's activated by the Pirates. The team hasn't yet determined the specifics of his rehab assignment, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the right-hander remain sidelined until at least late next week.

Bednar (back) will throw live batting practice Saturday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bednar threw a side session Sunday and has been cleared to face hitters less than a week later. The Pirates haven't yet determined when the right-hander will begin a rehab assignment, but the team will likely make a decision based on how he feels following Saturday's throwing session.

Bednar (back) threw a side session Sunday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bednar has been on the shelf for just over a month with low-back inflammation, so he'll likely need to throw at least one more bullpen session before advancing to facing hitters in live batting practice. If all goes well, Bednar could start a brief minor-league rehab assignment next week before returning from the 15-day injured list. While Bednar has been sidelined, three Pirates relievers -- Wil Crowe, Chase De Jong and Eric Stout -- have picked up one save apiece.

Bednar (back) threw Friday in Philadelphia, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said in mid-August that Bednar was close to starting a throwing program, and the right-hander has now been cleared to make that step. He'll likely have to ramp up his intensity before he's in the mix to rejoin the Pirates, manager Derek Shelton hopes that Bednar will be able to return prior to the end of the regular season.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Bednar (back) should be ready to begin a throwing program later this week or early next week, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bednar was recently cleared to begin plyometric work, and if his back continues to respond well over the next couple of days, he should be ready to start playing catch. He'll then gradually ramp up the intensity and distance of his throwing before eventually graduating to bullpen sessions and then live batting practice. As a reliever, Bednar won't require an extensive buildup program, but Pittsburgh's closer is still probably at least a week away from making his return from the 15-day injured list.

Bednar (back) has begun doing lumbar/spine exercises and is hoping to start throwing in about a week, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports

EDGE Analysis

Bednar has been dealing with back issues for a good part of the season and has still managed to record 17 saves while generating an impressive 2.70 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. However, it seems that he will have to remain out of action for the immediate future and Wil Crowe will continue filling in as Pittsburgh's closer until Bednar returns.

The Pirates placed Bednar on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with low-back inflammation.

EDGE Analysis

Bednar's back injury cropped up earlier this week and left him unavailable for a save chance in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Brewers. Wil Crowe worked around a hit and struck out the side to notch his third save of the season, and he likely projects as manager Derek Shelton's preferred choice to close games while Bednar is on the shelf. Bednar will be eligible to return from the IL in mid-August.

Manager Derek Shelton said Bednar was unavailable during Tuesday's win over the Brewers due to a lower-back injury, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bednar missed some time with the back issue a month ago and was able to avoid the injured list, and it remains to be seen if he'll require a trip to the shelf this time around. In his absence, Wil Crowe picked up save Tuesday, and Yerry De Los Santos could also be in the mix for saves should Bednar be forced to miss additional time.