Written by Thomas Moore

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Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Rafael Perez is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday with the Akron Aeros.

If he doesn’t have any setbacks, Perez could rejoin the club in about a week or so, according to The Plain Dealer.

That’s good news for the team as the bullpen can use another left-hander now that Nick Hagadone is finished for the season.

Perez hasn’t pitched for the Indians since going on the disabled list on April 26 with a strained left lat muscle – an injury that at the time the team believed would sideline him for six weeks. Prior to his injury, Perez posted a 3.52 ERA in eight games, covering 7.2 innings of work.

There’s no telling how long it will take Perez to regain his form, or if he even will this season. But if he can come close to being the pitcher he was in the first half of last year – when he appeared in 40 games (covering 37.2 innings of work) and posted an ERA of 1.91 – that could go a long way toward helping Tribe manager Manny Acta bridge the gap between the starting rotation and the Vinnie Pestano/Chris Perez combo at the back end of the bullpen.

(Photo by Getty Images)