Alvarez (shoulder) departed on a rehab assignment with High-A Jupiter on Wednesday, Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post reports. Alvarez will head out on a rehab assignment a bit ahead of the expected schedule. The long rehab process from a partially-torn UCL is finally in the late stages, but he'll likely require a fair number of rehab assignments to rebuild his arm strength and stamina before finally rejoining the rotation.

Alvarez (shoulder) threw a successful 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and could begin a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break, the Miami Herald reports. Alvarez has been limited to just four starts on the season after breaking out with a 2.65 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 187 innings pitched in 2014. He's currently working his way back from a second stint on the disabled list due to the shoulder injury, so the team will continue to take things slowly as he rebuilds arm strength. If he is indeed able to head out for a rehab assignment right after the break, Alvarez would have a chance to rejoin the Marlins rotation by the end of July.

Alvarez (shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session Saturday, the Miami Herald reports. The right-hander is working his way back from a second stint on the DL this season due to his balky throwing shoulder and finally appears to be making some progress. He's currently throwing on flat ground at a distance of 120 feet and will get back onto a mound this weekend. The Marlins have had a number of injured starters get back to the field recently and can afford to take things slowly with Alvarez given their new-found rotation depth.

Alvarez (shoulder) is no longer suffering from inflammation in his right shoulder has begun throwing on flat ground, the Miami Herald reports. While this is certainly an improvement from the "no-throw" status that Alvarez had been under, the right-hander remains without a clear timetable to return. He is currently throwing from a distance of 60-feet, but it will be difficult to project a return date until he begins throwing off of a mound. Alvarez has made just four starts this season, holding a 6.45 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over 22.1 innings pitched.

Alvarez (shoulder) remains on a no-throw schedule, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports. Alvarez, who was placed on the DL on May 22, has been shut down for the Marlins for the time being in an effort to help the inflammation in his shoulder calm down. Once the Marlins feel he's built up enough strength in the shoulder, Alvarez will gradually start throwing again. The Marlins haven't provided an estimated return date for the right-hander.

Alvarez was placed on the 15-day DL Friday with right shoulder inflammation, MLB.com's Clark Spencer reports. He gave up six runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts over five innings Friday and apparently reaggravated the shoulder issue that had him on the DL just days prior to Friday's start. We should know more about the severity of the injury in the coming days. Justin Nicolino would seem to be an obvious candidate to be called up from Triple-A to take his rotation spot.

Alvarez has been pitching several seasons with a partial UCL tear, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports. The severity of the tear is unclear but it's not severe enough to stop him from pitching. Miami was apparently aware of the UCL tear when they traded for him. Considering he has been pitching through the injury for a significant period of time he should not be downgraded significantly because of this news.

Alvarez struggled in his return from the disabled list Sunday, allowing six earned runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.2 innings pitched during a loss to the Braves. It didn't really matter how Alvarez pitched as Shelby Miller dominated the Marlins' bats on the other side. On the positive side, right-hander was able to overcome a five-run second inning and pitch into the sixth while throwing 85 pitches. Alvarez has had a bumpy start to the season and now owns a 6.23 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 17.1 innings pitched around his DL stint. He'll look to get back on track Friday against the Orioles.

Alvarez (shoulder) has been activated from the 15-day DL and will start Sunday's game against the Braves, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports. Alvarez had already been announced as Sunday's starter, and is set to square off against Shelby Miller and the Braves. After tossing six scoreless innings in a rehab start Tuesday, the 25-year-old right hander is finally set to see another Major League start after spending just over a month on the shelf. Alvarez will look to put a rocky start (six earned runs in 12 innings) behind him, and return to his 2014 form where he posted a career-best 2.65 ERA and pitched three shutouts.

Alvarez will return to the Marlins and start Sunday's game against the Braves, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports. Alvarez is fortunate enough to make his return against the weak-hitting Atlanta lineup, so he could be a decent value in daily leagues. Two starts in 2015 isn't enough to say whether Alvarez will be in his All-Star 2014 form, but he should at least be seen as a league-average starter going forward.