Astros' Brady Rodgers: On restricted throwing program

Rodgers (elbow) will participate in pitchers' fielding practice and do "some light throwing" during spring training, per manager A.J. Hinch, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Hinch said Rodgers may throw a bullpen session within the next six weeks, however, the pitcher estimated his first bullpen will be sometime in May. The 27-year-old right-hander was coming off the best season of his career when he injured his elbow last spring and underwent Tommy John elbow surgery last May. He had a 2.86 ERA over 132 innings for Triple-A Fresno in 2016. Ideally, Rodgers would be a depth-starter option for the Astros, but the injury puts him out of the mix for that role.