BALTIMORE -- Blue Jays manager John Gibbons hinted on Friday afternoon that the return of injured shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is imminent and he could be back within "a couple of days."Tulowitzki has been out since May 27 with soreness in his right quad. He went 1-for-4 with a single and

BALTIMORE -- Blue Jays manager John Gibbons hinted on Friday afternoon that the return of injured shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is imminent and he could be back within "a couple of days."

Tulowitzki has been out since May 27 with soreness in his right quad. He went 1-for-4 with a single and two strikeouts in a rehab game for Class A Advanced Dunedin on Thursday night.

The 31-year-old is not expected to require another rehab game before returning. He worked out at the club's Minor League complex on Friday morning, and it's possible he'll be back in action this weekend in Baltimore.

Darwin Barney and Ryan Goins filled in at shortstop during Tulowitzki's absence after Devon Travis took over the everyday duties at second base. Tulowitzki is batting .204 with eight home runs, 23 RBIs and a .673 OPS in 46 games for the Blue Jays this season.

Cecil getting closer

Left-hander Brett Cecil is scheduled to pitch in an intrasquad game at the club's Minor League complex on Saturday afternoon. He recently began throwing off the mound after he tore his lat during an outing against the Rangers on May 14.

Cecil likely will eventually start an official rehab assignment with Dunedin and then could be eligible to return at some point before the end of the month. He is 0-5 with a 5.23 ERA in 10 1/3 innings this season.

"Brett's doing good," Blue Jays trainer George Poulis said. "He's close to pitching in a game."