McKenzie (elbow) struck out four and gave up one run on one hit and one walk over three innings in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Akron.
McKenzie tossed 44 pitches in his first appearance at any level since he was shut down in late June with a right UCL sprain. Both he and Shane Bieber -- who tossed 3.2 innings for Akron on Tuesday -- appear to be on similar timelines for returns from the 60-day injured list, though both hurlers are likely to require at least one more rehab start or simulated game before being activated. Though McKenzie is tracking toward a return to the Cleveland rotation in late September, his innings and pitch counts could be monitored carefully down the stretch. The Guardians face long odds to unseat the Twins atop the AL Central and may not be incentivized to fully unleash McKenzie and Bieber in the final two weeks of the season if a playoff spot is out of reach.