Rays' Howell taking steps toward return

J.P. Howell can't wait to get take the mound Wednesday, even if it is only the bullpen mound at Tropicana Field.

The left-hander, sidelined since the start of spring training because of weakness and inflammation in his pitching shoulder, is scheduled to throw a modified bullpen session where he will throw 25 to 30 pitches to bullpen catcher Scott Cursi, who will straddle home plate rather than set up behind it.

"Big day. Big day," Howell said. "I'll throw it, let it eat, go with full speed and see what happens. It's back to fun again. I'm confident, and that's the main thing."

Howell called this the second-biggest step in his rehab. The first was accomplished last week when he played catch at 120 feet.

"That's pretty good for me, because I don't do that during the season," he said. "(Throwing) 120 feet on a line, I'll take it, because I don't know if I could do that before."

Howell still has late-May as his target for returning to the Rays, though he said he can help the team right now.

The timetable will be governed by several factors: how his shoulder reacts during the rehab process and the Rays schedule, which always falls on the side of caution.

"They're not going to rush me," he said. "They made that pretty clear. If it wasn't for my stuff not knowing where it's going, I'd be back now. That's how good I feel."

If his shoulder feels fine Thursday, Howell said he will throw another bullpen Friday.

The next step will be back-to-back bullpen sessions. Howell said the team might want him to throw two back-to-back bullpens before allowing him to pitch to live batters during batting practice.

If he comes through that without a setback, Howell said he expects to begin a minor league rehab assignment before he rejoins the club.

"I would say late May," he said. "We don't want to say June. Mid-May in a uniform, late May with the team. The real uni, man."