Blackburn (forearm) was scratched from Tuesday's planned rehab start at High-A Stockton and may instead make his 2018 big-league debut in the coming days, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Blackburn has yet to throw more than 50 pitches in a rehab appearance but would have been slated for 75 had he made his Tuesday start for the Ports. Instead, he's joined the big-league club in Texas. The right-hander's arrival was prompted by Daniel Gossett's placement on the disabled list earlier in the day with a right elbow injury, and Blackburn confirmed that he's "here to pitch sometime" when questioned about the sudden change in plans. Manager Bob Melvin wouldn't go as far as making an official proclamations about his plans for Blackburn.