Pirates' David Bednar: Heading out for rehab assignment

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he anticipates Bednar (oblique) reporting to Triple-A Indianapolis this week to begin a rehab assignment, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Bednar has been on the 15-day injured list since June 23 with a left oblique strain, but he's on the cusp of a return after he threw a 21-pitch live batting practice session Saturday without incident. Cherington didn't say whether Bednar would require more than one rehab appearance with Indianapolis, but with the All-Star break looming, it wouldn't be surprising if the Pirates waited until the start of their second-half schedule July 19 before activating their closer.