Brad Penny (strained right lat) is expected to throw a simulated game Tuesday at the Rockies' Coors Field.

The right-hander has been on the disabled list since May 22 and has already passed the four-week timetable that was suggested by the St. Louis medical staff at the time of his injury. Penny has thrown several times off a mound and is aiming to return to the Cardinals right after the All-Star break.

Brad Penny (strained right calf) is almost ready to face live batters.

Penny threw a bullpen session on Thursday and has another one scheduled for Saturday. Assuming he doesn't run into any setbacks, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said he will face live batters in Denver on Tuesday. It's possible that he could be back the first week after the All-Star break.

Brad Penny (strained right lat) threw off a mound again on Thursday.

Penny has now thrown two bullpen sessions and should be nearing a simulated game soon. The hope is that he will head out on a rehab assignment in about a week and return to the Cards after the All-Star break.

Brad Penny (strained right lat) threw a bullpen session on Monday.

B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest looked on as Penny threw and reports that he "appeared to be throwing with pretty good velocity." The big right-hander has been on the disabled list since the end of May and is aiming to rejoin the Cardinals soon after the mid-July All-Star break.

Brad Penny (strained right lat) had a "fine, pain-free" catch at Busch Stadium on Friday.

Progress, we think. There's still no timetable for his return, but the best guess right now is somewhere around the All-Star break.

An MRI revealed that Brad Penny's strained lat is healing, however there's still no timetable on his return from the disabled list.

It's been nearly three weeks since he suffered the injury, however he has yet to throw aggressively off the mound. He was originally given a timetable of 4-6 weeks, so there's still time here, but the team has yet to even announce his next scheduled bullpen session.

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals have begun looking for starting pitching.

With the uncertainty surrounding Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan have recently lobbied general manager John Mozeliak to seek outside help. But don't get too excited. La Russa and Duncan have reportedly "voiced a willingness" to talk to Jeff Suppan, who was released by the Brewers on Monday. Other possibilities include Brian Bannister and Kevin Millwood. According to Strauss, the Cardinals would prefer to acquire an active starting pitcher rather than someone like John Smoltz or Pedro Martinez.

A team source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss that a reasonable timetable for Brad Penny's return from his lat strain is 4-6 weeks.

Neither Penny nor the team has set an official timetable for the right-hander's return, so this is the closest we've come to having a sense of when Penny might rejoin the Cardinals' rotation. The same source said that Penny might be able to throw off a mound this week. Penny was off to a strong start for St. Louis, with a 3-4 record, a 3.23 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in nine starts. Adam Ottavino and P.J. Walters will remain in the rotation for the time being with Penny and Kyle Lohse out for the foreseeable future.

Brad Penny (lat) played catch for the third time since going on the disabled list on May 22, but is still not throwing off a mound.

The Cardinals had hoped that Penny would return after the minimum 15 days, but at this point they'll be glad if he doesn't miss another 15. We'll have a better sense of how long he'll be out once he's throwing full bullpen sessions, but at this point, expect a few more starts out of Adam Ottavino.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said Monday the he expects Brad Penny (lat) to be ready by the middle of June.

Penny has yet to resume throwing, though, so any timetable is just a guess. He was placed on the disabled list back on May 22 with a strained lat muscle. P.J. Walters has been filling in and is set to start a crucial game against the Reds on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is no longer optimistic that Brad Penny (lat) will come off the DL after the minimum 15 days.

"At one time, depending on how quickly he was coming, there was a chance," La Russa said. "There was a chance. But I think there's a good chance he could join us some time in June -- the first half of June." Penny is eligible to return on June 6, but he'll probably miss at least one or two additional starts. P.J. Walters is filling in.

Cardinals placed RHP Brad Penny on the 15-day disabled list with a strained lat.

His grand slam was majestic, but it was also costly as Penny will now miss a few starts as he recovers from a Grade 1 lat strain. Fortunately, Grade 1 is the kind with the shortest recovery time. He'll probably miss 2-3 weeks, but the Cardinals have already called up P.J. Walters to help cover for his absence.

Brad Penny was diagnosed with a strained right lat muscle.

Penny was forced to leave Friday's game against the Angels after just three innings. No word on whether he will be available for his next start.

Brad Penny was shelled for seven earned runs in five innings of work during an ugly loss to the Reds on Sunday.

We were a little skeptical of Penny's torrid start to the season, but owners shouldn't go into a full-blow panic over this. He gave up a fistful of fluky hits, including a bases-loaded single to Bronson Arroyo in the fifth. Penny gets the Angels next and then a dream matchup in San Diego after that.

Brad Penny fell to 3-3 on the season after giving up four runs -- none earned -- over seven innings against the Astros Tuesday.

He fell victim to St. Louis' sloppy defense, which committed three errors. Penny himself was just fine, striking out three and not walking a batter while allowing seven hits. He's been a spectacular fantasy find to this point, now sporting a 1.70 ERA, but we don't expect him to sustain the success. Even so, he should be in starting lineups this weekend in Cincinnati.

Brad Penny fell to 3-2 on the season after giving up three earned runs over six innings in Philadelphia Wednesday.

Penny had a perfect game going through three innings before Placido Polanco tagged him for a two-run homer in the fourth. Still, it's a strong outing considering how hard the Phillies rake in their home ballpark. We don't think Penny will keep up his dominant start (1.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), but he's a must-play in all formats against the Astros next time out.

Brad Penny threw 7 2/3 innings of scoreless ball against the Giants on Sunday to pick up a win.

Penny struck out just two, but he also didn't walk anyone and scattered eight hits. Manager Tony LaRussa may have let Penny go for the complete game, but on his 99th pitch of the game Pablo Sandoval hit an impressive single on a pitch way out of the zone to end Penny's day. The right-hander is now 3-0 with a 0.94 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through four starts.

Brad Penny moved to 2-0 by allowing two runs in seven innings Monday against the Diamondbacks.

Rodrigo Lopez matched him pitch for pitch for seven innings, but the Cardinals got an unearned run in the top of the eighth on their way to a 4-2 win, giving Penny the victory. Penny has a 1.29 ERA after three turns.

Brad Penny gave up just one run -- zero earned -- while walking none and striking out four in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

Dave Duncan strikes again? The Cardinals pitching coach has made Penny realize that he's no longer going to overpower hitters and it's paying off. Penny has a 0.64 ERA and 0.79 WHIP through two starts and it wouldn't be a shock if he maintains mixed league value all season.

Brad Penny pitched seven innings of one-run ball against the Reds in his Cardinals debut Thursday.

Penny got 13 outs on the ground and allowed just one extra-base hit, a Ryan Hanigan double. He's probably not going to rack up the strikeouts like he used to, but he's following Dave Duncan's tutelage and it will likely pay off in the end.