Pirates' Trevor Williams: Closing in on return

Williams (side) felt fine following his rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Indianapolis and is expected to rejoin Pittsburgh's rotation sometime next week, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Williams has been on the shelf since May 16 due to a right side strain, though he made it through his minor-league outing without any issues and should be activated within the next week. His return figures to give the Pirates a boost, as he posted a 3.33 ERA with 42 strikeouts over 54 frames in his first nine starts of the season.