Velasquez (elbow) returned to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and expects to be activated from the 15-day injured list to make a start at some point during the Pirates' upcoming series in Seattle this weekend, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Velasquez acknowledged that it's not his call when the Pirates choose to activate him, though general manager Ben Cherington told Justice delos Santos of MLB.com that "all signs point to" the right-hander being reinstated from the IL for his next outing. Though Velasquez was initially expected to make two minor-league rehab starts prior to being activated, he looks like he'll be ready to go after striking out four over 4.2 scoreless innings with Triple-A Indianapolis this past Saturday. Velasquez will most likely take back a spot in the Pittsburgh rotation from Luis Ortiz.