Darvish expected to return from DL on Sunday

Slowly but surely, the Los Angeles Dodgers are getting their star-studded rotation back in order.

Right-hander Yu Darvish - the Dodgers' prized trade deadline acquisition - is quickly moving toward his own return to the big-league level after back spasms landed him on the DL over the weekend. Darvish threw a bullpen session on Monday in Pittsburgh, and after getting through the session unscathed he's now scheduled to return to the mound on Sunday when the Dodgers host the Milwaukee Brewers, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

The Japanese hurler will not require a minor-league rehab appearance before Sunday. Instead, he'll throw one final bullpen session Thursday, Plunkett reports, before returning to game action assuming that final test is passed.

Darvish's Dodgers career got off to a fast and historic start, as he's averaged 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings pitched over his first three outings for the major-league best club. But back spasms forced him to leave his first start at Dodger Stadium on Thursday after just six innings of work. Both the early hook and the decision to place him on the DL were both deemed to be precautionary in nature, given the Dodgers' 20-game lead in the National League West.

The news of Darvish's impending return comes on the same day the Dodgers announced Clayton Kershaw - who's also sidelined with a back issue - will make a rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday.