Darvish (shoulder, triceps) played catch from 135 feet Sunday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports. "[Sunday] was his best day in a long time, and he threw really well and felt really good," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said of Darvish.

EDGE Analysis

It amounts to a small step forward in the recovery process for Darvish, but the right-hander still looks to be at least a couple weeks away from being a realistic rotation option for the Cubs. Epstein said that Darvish should be able to throw off a mound within the next few days before advancing to facing live hitters. Darvish has been sidelined since May 23, first with right triceps tendinitis and then with a shoulder impingement, which he sustained in June during his throwing program.