Saito should give Brewers a fresh arm soon

MILWAUKEE -- After a long stretch of dominance, the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen has struggled of late but looks to get a fresh arm with the pending return of Takashi Saito. The veteran right-hander has been sidelined since early April with hamstring tightness and a strained oblique but threw a simulated game Thursday and could be back by next weekend. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Saito showed improvement over previous bullpen sessions and will go on a rehab assignment on Sunday with Single-A Wisconsin. "I thought his command was better today," Roenicke said before Thursday's game with the Mets. "It's still not the command that he's going to have." After an appearance with the Timber Rattlers, Saito will make at least two outings with Triple-A Nashville before being activated. Roenicke said his best guess for Saito's return was about a week and a half, which could have him back when the Brewers play the Red Sox in Boston or Rays in Milwaukee. It has been a trying year overall for 41-year-old Saito, who signed with the Brewers in the offseason. During spring training, Saito's hometown of Sendai in Japan was hit hard by an earthquake, though Saito's family was OK. Then after just two appearances in the regular season, Saito went down with hamstring tightness. Just when he was ready to return to the majors, Saito suffered a strained oblique during a rehab game with Nashville, setting him back completely. "He thought after that first injury he'd be back but all of a sudden you have another one," Roenicke said. "That's really hard to deal with." Roenicke sees Saito's improving command as the key to his return, one certainly welcome amid a string of tough outings for the otherwise solid bullpen. "He relies on good command," Roenicke said. "He's not the guy he was five or six years ago that just threw the ball by guys. He still has a sneaky fastball, but he commands the ball really well." But don't expect Saito to jump right into a setup role or close games out right away if John Axford is unavailable. Roenicke plans to ease Saito back into regular action after more than two months on the disabled list. "It's only fair to do that," Roenicke said. "We'll see how he comes along and hopefully he comes fast."