Lucchesi (hip) fired four scoreless innings while striking out six in Thursday's rehab appearance with High-A Lake Elsinore, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Lucchesi only needed 47 pitches to get through four hitless frames, even touching 96 mph according to the team's velocity chart. The strong outing bodes well for the rookie hurler, but the club may opt to give him one more rehab start in an effort to get his pitch count up. If the Padres decide to expedite that process, then next Tuesday would be the earliest he could make a start in the majors on regular rest. Lucchesi has posted a 3.23 ERA with a 3.2 K/BB ratio in nine starts this season.