Smith (shoulder) will start a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Smith has been shelved by right shoulder inflammation since May 22 and was transferred to the 60-day injured list in late June. He's progressed enough in his recovery to embark on a rehab assignment and could be back in the majors by late July or early August. Prior to his injury, Smith posted a 3.18 ERA and 1.47 wHIP across 17 innings.