Cortes (shoulder) was "totally pain free" during his 20-pitch simulated game Sunday and is scheduled for another session Thursday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
It was the left-hander's first time facing live batters since he landed on the shelf with a shoulder strain in early June, and he should continue building up his workload Thursday. Cortes won't be eligible to be activated until early August since he was recently transferred to the 60-day IL, but he wasn't a likely bet to return much before that regardless since he'll require a multi-outing rehab assignment in the minors.