Rodriguez (knee) will make his initial rehab start Thursday at High-A Salem, Scott Lauber of ESPN.com reports.
While he was rumored to be getting the nod at Double-A Portland on Friday, Rodriguez will instead take the mound Thursday, as the Red Sox prefer that he remain on a five-day schedule. If all goes as planned, he'll likely move up to Triple-A Pawtucket, after which he could be activated from the DL.