Joe Thatcher (shoulder) tossed a perfect inning Sunday in his first minor league rehab appearance with Single-A Lake Elsinore.

The southpaw struck out two. It was his first appearance since undergoing shoulder surgery in early May. He is expected to transfer to Triple-A Tucson on Tuesday.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Sunday.

He'll make just one appearances for Lake Elsinore before moving up to Triple-A Tucson, where he's expected to throw 15 rehab innings. "This will be his spring training," Padres manager Bud Black said. Thatcher had shoulder surgery in early May and has yet to appear for the Pads this season.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) is scheduled to face live hitters next Wednesday.

It's the first time he's done so since undergoing shoulder surgery back in early May. Th Padres are hoping he'll be ready to contribute sometime in August.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) threw off the mound Monday for the first time since February.

Thatcher was sidelined for most of spring training due to soreness in his shoulder and underwent surgery in early May. "This was sort of my last mental hurdle ... getting on the mound again," said Thatcher, who threw 25 pitches, all of them fastballs. "It was exciting and just fun to be back out there, throwing and visualizing hitters." The southpaw hopes to rejoin the Padres sometime in August.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) is hoping to return to the Padres by August 1.

Thatcher will throw a bullpen session Monday for the first time since his shoulder surgery. "August was the original target date, and it's looking good," said Thatcher. The lefty has yet to appear this season for the Pads due to his shoulder woes.

Joe Thatcher is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Monday for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery in May.

"It will be a good first step," said Thatcher. The 29-year-old southpaw was cleared to pitch off a mound after making 25 throws off flat ground with increased intensity on Wednesday. He's still hoping to return later this season.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) threw 40 "painless" pitches from 90 feet Friday.

He should be ready to try throwing from a mound before long. Thatcher, who underwent exploratory surgery on his pitching shoulder in early May, is hoping to return sometime during the second half.

Joe Thatcher played catch for five minutes Sunday for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery.

Thatcher had the procedure nearly six weeks ago. He's still hoping to return later this season, but obviously he's a long ways away from doing so.

Padres transferred LHP Joe Thatcher from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

The move was made to add Logan Forsythe to the 40-man roster. Thatcher underwent successful shoulder surgery this week and could return later this season.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) thinks he'll be able to resume playing catch in six weeks.

Thatcher had exploratory surgery on his pitching shoulder Monday, and a frayed labrum, frayed rotator cuff and an inflamed bursa sac. That certainly doesn't sound good, but Thatcher said "it could be a lot worse." He's likely eying a return sometime in the second half.

Joe Thacher underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder Monday.

Thatcher won't throw for six weeks, but Padres manager Bud Black said "there's a probability Joe will pitch again this season." Cory Luebke is the Padres' lone lefty out of the bullpen right now.

Joe Thatcher will miss a minimum of three months following exploratory surgery on his shoulder, which will occur Monday.

If he needs only a cleanup procedure, he'll be out three months, but if something needs to be repaired he'll miss 9-12 months. So, in a best-case scenario, we won't see him until sometime in August. It's a notable blow to the Padres bullpen.

Joe Thatcher will undergo exploratory surgery Monday morning on his injured left shoulder.

The Padres won't know the extent of the procedure or the length of Thatcher's expected recovery until afterward. A full labrum repair would put him out for the rest of the 2011 season. The lefty is already on the disabled list.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) cut his bullpen session short Tuesday after he tired out.

Padres manager Bud Black said Thatcher wasn't in pain but was feeling the "same sensations he felt before." It's not clear how much this will set him back, but obviously he's not ready to return soon.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) played catch for the fourth consecutive day Friday.

Thatcher is hopeful that he can throw a bullpen session in the near future. "Maybe some time late next week," said Thatcher. "We're stretching it out little by little each day." Only when he throws a bullpen session will we know more about a potential rehab assignment.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) played catch Monday with no issues.

"He did fine," said Padres manager Bud Black. "He played catch, didn't go off the mound. Keep your fingers crossed. We've been down this [road] before. We're trying to stay as positive as we can." The southpaw is still in the early stages of a throwing program, so there's no clear timetable for his return.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) had his third cortisone injection Wednesday.

Sooner or later he's going to have to start showing some real progress, as the injections are only a temporary solution and Thatcher is close to the limit of how many he can have. The lefty does seem to be doing better, but we'll have a better idea as to his return date once he's throwing from a mound again.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) will play catch again Wednesday and expect to return to the Padres bullpen soon.

"We just played light catch for the first time [Tuesday], it's a first step -- 60 feet for about 10 minutes," said Thatcher. "It felt good, no pain or anything. It's a first step in getting back. And I'm going to do the same thing today." As Thatcher notes, playing catch is only the first step, so we'll have a better idea as to when he'll return once he starts throwing from a mound again.

Joe Thatcher (shoulder) played catch Tuesday for the first time since he suffered a setback a week ago.

It's not clear what the next step is, but the Padres will be careful with him. It's doubtful Thatcher will be ready by the end of the month even if he doesn't suffer any more setbacks.

Joe Thatcher had a setback with his shoulder after a bullpen session Tuesday.

That's not good. Though the Padres' training staff is optimistic that his condition will improve with treatment, the southpaw has been shut down indefinitely. April looks like a longshot right now.