An MRI on Blackburn's forearm revealed no structural damage, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
This is certainly encouraging news for Blackburn, as forearm tightness is often the precursor to a more serious ailment. The 24-year-old will now take some time off to let the discomfort subside before resuming a throwing program. He's still expected to open the season on the disabled list given how close it is to the start of the season, but he was close to being stretched out, so he seemingly won't need too much time to get up to speed once he's able to resume throwing. With Blackburn sidelined, Daniel Gossett will likely step into the team's rotation to open the season.