Angels' Griffin Canning: Ready for long-toss throwing

Canning (back) has been cleared to resume throwing off flat ground from 90 feet this week, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Canning is seemingly making positive strides in his recovery from a stress fracture in his lower back, but because the Angels placed him on the 60-day injured list earlier this month, he's not going to be ready to make his season debut until at least the second half of May. He still has several checkpoints to hit in his recovery from the injury before he's even ready for a minor-league rehab assignment, but the fact that he's not being shut down from throwing entirely is a good sign at this stage.