Barnes (shoulder) retired all three batters he faced, including two by strikeout, in the fourth inning for Double-A Portland on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Barnes made his seventh rehab outing Thursday and is seemingly close to returning to the majors. The organization has scheduled him to throw back-to-back days so he's expected to appear Friday as well, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. When relievers on rehab pitch back-to-back days, that's typically the final step before their activation.