Salazar may not return until the spring SALAZAR He could return this year only if Tribe reaches Series from B1

Danny Salazar is up against the calendar as he attempts to make a return in time for the postseason.

(Chuck Crow/PD)

DETROIT -- In the Indians' ideal world, perhaps Danny Salazar would return to the major-league mound at some point this week.

He could shake off some rust and the Indians could decide whether he's a sensible option for the postseason roster.

Reality doesn't always unfold in ideal fashion, though. Salazar threw off of a mound on Monday afternoon in Detroit. The Indians will monitor how he recovers before they determine the next course of action. Time is certainly of the essence.

"Obviously, we're up against the calendar," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "He's still just now throwing bullpens. So there's only a certain amount of time we have to build him back up. Especially for any sort of early round of the playoffs, if anything, it would be out of the bullpen."

Salazar suffered a mild strain of the flexor muscle in his right forearm earlier this month. He received an injection and rested for a little more than a week before he began playing catch again.

Prior to his bullpen session on Monday, Salazar played long toss. He then threw what pitching coach Mickey Callaway estimated as 23 pitches off of the mound.

"He looked good," Callaway said. "[He was] using his legs well. The ball was coming out well. He got through it just fine."

Salazar was throwing with about 75 percent intensity.

"His health is the first priority," said manager Terry Francona. "He's not rushing into anything. This is not a speed-up program."

Francona said the club is still weighing how to approach the next few days. It will be dependent on how Salazar bounces back from Monday's workload.

"He'll certainly have a couple more bullpens," Francona said. "Is every other day a little ambitious? Is every third day? [We'll] sit down and figure out the best way to go through the rest of the week."

Salazar hasn't pitched since Sept. 9. Since the All-Star break, when he was dealing with elbow soreness, the right-hander has totaled 32 2/3 innings in eight starts. In those outings, he has posted a 7.44 ERA and opponents have tagged him for a .928 OPS.

Could he toe the rubber against the Royals this weekend as a postseason preview?

"That would be nice," Callaway said. "I don't think that's a goal right now, because [Tuesday], coming in and feeling good, is probably the main goal. But it would be nice."