Whitley (back) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

Whitley landed on the injured list May 30 with back spasms. He resumed throwing in mid-June and has now progressed to the final stage of his recovery. Whitley seems likely to get multiple outings under his belt in the minors before returning to the Cardinals bullpen, but an activation within the next week does not appear out of the question. The right-hander posted a 6.10 ERA across 10.1 innings before the injury.