Pirates' Cody Ponce: Sim game on tap

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that he expects Pence (forearm) to pitch in a simulated game within the next few days, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

Pence appears ready to move on to the next phase of his rehab after completing three side sessions over the past week. He'll need at least a couple of simulated games to build up his pitch count, but once ready to return from the injured list, Ponce could give the Pirates another a depth option in the rotation.