Appel (shoulder) played catch Tuesday for the first time since being shut down in May, but he remains at least two-to-three weeks away from returning from the DL, Meghan Montemurro of The News Journal reports.

EDGE Analysis

The former first round pick has been battling a shoulder strain since late May, but he does appear to be making progress towards a return. He played catch Tuesday, so he'll likely need to log a few more similar sessions before moving to throwing off a mound. The expectation is that he'll be able to return from the 7-day DL in two-to-three weeks, at which point he should return to the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.