A quick update on some of the Tigers’ injuries:

• Andy Dirks has moved out of the rehabilitation phase of his recovery from back surgery in early March. Dirks had microdiscectomy surgery on March 10, and was expected to need 12 weeks of recovery, starting with three weeks of complete rest, and three weeks of therapy.

He’s closer to nine weeks out, now.

“He threw the other day for the first time, and he can take dry swings. Just swing a bat easy. That’s where he’s at. I guess the very beginnings of baseball activities,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who had the same surgery in 2010.

“We’re coming up on two months, really. It’s kind of a three-month injury. I think it was three months. Whenever the exact date of the surgery was, roughly three months from there. Everyone’s a little different.”

A twelve-week estimate would put land Dirks’ target return date in the first week of June.


• Anibal Sanchez felt fine after Friday’s bullpen session.

“Sanchie is going to throw a simulated (game) in Baltimore on Tuesday,” Ausmus said.

On the DL since April 27, Sanchez said Friday night he expects to return to the rotation on May 18, against Boston.


• Luke Putkonen threw two innings in his second rehabilitation outing Friday night, giving up a run on two hits. He will make another appearance in Toledo on Tuesday, according to Ausmus, and should be good to go after that.

“Should be, yeah. If it continues as it is right now,” Ausmus said.

Putkonen has been on the disabled list since April 19 with inflammation in his throwing elbow.