Richards (knee) is tentatively slated to return Sunday against Astros, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports. First things first, Richards needs to get through his rehab appearance with Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday, but assuming he escapes without a setback, Richards will return Sunday to face Houston. Richards held the Astros to seven earned runs in four starts against them last season (27.1 innings), with 28 strikeouts against eight walks. Houston currently leads the AL in batter strikeouts with 72.

Richards (knee) will make a rehab appearance at Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. Richards made a strong rehab appearance Thursday, striking out 12 batters over seven innings of an intrasquad game. If all goes well in his outing Tuesday, it's reasonable to believe he will be ready for activation after that.

Richards (knee) struck out 12 batters over seven innings in Thursday's minor-league intrasquad game, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. Richards did give up two earned runs on four hits and three walks, but he impressively needed just 96 pitches to pile up a dozen punchouts. His next outing will likely come with Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday, and he's still on track to join the big-league rotation in mid-to-late April.

The Angels officially put Richards (knee) on the 15-day DL on Saturday night. No surprise here, though Richards has been making great progress in his rehab. He'll be back in mid-to-late April.

Richards struck out five batters over 5.1 innings of shutout ball in Thursday's minor-league game, allowing six hits and one walk, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports. Perhaps most important of all, Richards made it through 90 pitches, seemingly without incident. He's expected to stay behind at extended spring training for one more start, and he'll then begin a minor league rehab assignment, which probably won't last too long. Richards remains on track to join the Angels' rotation in mid-to-late April, although he may not be ready by Apr. 15, when the team first needs a fifth starter.

Richards will stay in camp to pitch Thursday and April 9 before beginning a minor league rehab stint, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports. Richards has already been able to pitch in minor league games but has indicated that he does not want to rush back, so he'll stay in camp past the start of the regular season to get extra work under his belt. Depending on the length of his minor league rehab stint, the 26-year-old appears to still be on track to rejoin the team at some point in mid-April.

Richards (knee) threw five scoreless innings in a minor league game Saturday, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out five on 69 pitches, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. Richards appears to be nearing the home stretch in his recovery from knee surgery he underwent in August, as a six-inning, 90-pitch minor league outing Thursday could be his final tuneup before being activated for the April 15 contest against the Rangers. Richards has said he does not want to rush back to the mound in a regular season game, so he could potentially miss that start in favor of making sure he is ready to go.

Richards (knee) will throw five innings in a minor league game Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. Richards is scheduled to throw five innings in the contest, which could ultimately lead to an activation Apr. 12 after a six-inning outing Thursday. That seems to be the best-case scenario, however, as manager Mike Scioscia said Richards experienced some fatigue after his last outing, and the team is prepared to scale back his return if necessary.

Richards (knee) threw four hitless innings in a Triple-A start Monday, walking two and striking out three in the contest, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports. There was no report of any problems after the 53-pitch outing, meaning Richards will likely continue to get his work in before being activated some time in mid-April. The 26-year-old is on track to pitch again Saturday, in what would likely be another minor league contest.

Richards (Knee) will throw 60 pitches in a minor league game Monday, the Orange County Register reports. It was initially thought that Richards would make his Cactus League debut Monday, but it now seems that Richards could only pitch against major league hitters once before his activation from the disabled list. Richards will likely not break camp with the team in order to get some work in before his activation, but his timetable for return sometime in mid-April has not been altered.