Sale (ribs) will begin a rehab assignment next week and may need only two starts before rejoining the big-league rotation, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

"Today was a good box to check after kind of a long layoff," Sale said Thursday after throwing 30 pitches in a simulated game. "When you go through something like this, the most important thing is feeling good afterwards. And I was able to throw a lot of strikes, too. So, we'll see what tomorrow brings and go from there." The veteran southpaw has been sidelined since June 18 due to a rib injury, but he appears on track to be back before the end of the month.