Astros' Jake Bloss: Targeting Thursday return

Manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Bloss (shoulder) will likely return from the 15-day injured list to start Thursday's game against the Marlins, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bloss' availability is still dependent on how he recovers from the bullpen session he threw Tuesday, but chances are that he will be able to take the mound for the first time since his MLB debut June 21. The 23-year-old righty built up to just 55 pitches during his lone rehab appearance with Triple-A Sugar Land this past Saturday, so he'll likely be operating under a pitch-count restriction during his first start back from the IL. However, he'll benefit from a favorable matchup against a Marlins offense that ranks last in the majors in OPS (.632).