Schwellenbach (elbow) will likely throw a few more bullpen sessions before being cleared to face live hitters, and he hasn't yet regained his full velocity, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The 26-year-old right-hander has been throwing bullpens, both at Atlanta's spring training complex in Florida and with the big-league club, for a few weeks now, and the team has been mostly pleased with the results. "He looked good," manager Walt Weiss said after Schwellenbach's most recent session Friday. "The ball is coming out good. I've gotten some good reports on him. He's adding to his workload right now. The next step is to face live hitters after throwing about three more bullpens. But he's moving in the right direction and he feels good." While his elbow has held up so far, his velocity isn't yet back at pre-surgery levels, although he has been topping 90 mph in recent outings. If he stays on track, Schwellenbach could begin a rehab assignment in mid-August, and pitching in the majors before the end of the season hasn't been ruled out.