SAN DIEGO -- Phillies officials will have one more start to evaluate Carlos Zambrano before determining whether to bring him to the majors.
Zambrano can walk away from his minor-league deal on Monday if he is not promoted to the big club.
“He has one more scheduled start then obviously it will be time to make a decision,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday night.
That start will likely come Friday night for Triple A Lehigh Valley. Zambrano, 32, has already made three starts for Lehigh Valley. He has pitched 17 innings in those games, allowed 16 hits and six earned runs while walking nine and striking out 17.
Listening to Amaro talk, it sounds like Zambrano has a ways to go.
“If we thought he could help us he’d already be here,” Amaro said.
While the bullpen remains a possibility for Zambrano, Amaro said, “We still view him as starting pitching depth for us.”
Halladay's rehab
Roy Halladay, who had shoulder surgery on May 15, is playing catch at about 60 feet.
“Tossing is the key word,” said Halladay, who said he feels good.
Halladay still has miles upon miles to go in his rehab -- he hopes to pitch late in the season -- but pitching coach Rich Dubee likes what he sees so far.
“It looks very, very good,” Dubee said. “The arm action is good. He’s able to get his arm up where before he couldn’t do that on a consistent basis. He’s a long way from pitching, but everything is going according to plan.”
Halladay will have a checkup with surgeon Neal ElAttrache on Thursday in Los Angeles.
No issues for Pettibone
Jonathan Pettibone, who experienced back stiffness in his last start, had no problems in his regular between-starts bullpen session Monday and is a go for Thursday in Los Angeles.