Manager Dave Roberts said that Maeda will likely pitch an inning in relief Friday or Saturday against the Marlins before slotting back into the rotation Tuesday against the Angels, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Maeda tossed two scoreless, no-hit innings in his start in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Phillies, with his early departure coming as the result of a lengthy rain delay. Since he only tossed 35 pitches in the outing, Maeda won't need more than a day or two before being ready to contribute out of the bullpen. The relief appearance will essentially be the equivalent of a normal between-starts side session for the 31-year-old, who shouldn't face any strict workload limits when he rejoins the rotation next week.