Ryan Dempster continued his bid to return to the Majors with a rehab start in Iowa Wednesday night.
The Gibsons right-hander pitched well in his 4.1 innings, striking out seven as the Cubs topped the Albuquerque Isotopes 6-5.
Dempster was making his first rehab start with the Chicago Cubs triple A affiliate. Following the game, Dempster returned to Chicago to continue his rehab.
Speaking on the TEAM 1040 radio station during his weekly baseball segment, Dempster said he was happy with his progress and expected he would be ready to return to the big club sometime later this month.
"I expect to have one or two more starts with Iowa after the all-star break," Dempster said. "Right now it's just a matter of building my pitch count. When I'm fully healthy and ready to go, I want to start. But if Chicago wants me to come out of the pen, I'll do whatever it takes to contribute and help the Cubs win games. The big key is I want to be healthy this year and also next year and the years to come, so I don't want to rush things."
Dempster joined Iowa on June 21 and was slated to make his first start that evening, but a back problem forced him to sit and return to Chicago for treatment.
Prior to joining Iowa, Dempster made five starts with the Lansing Lugnuts, Chicago's Midwest League Single A affiliate.He pitched 14-plus innings, gave up 19 hits and five runs and struck out 19.
A 15-game winner with the Florida Marlins in 2001, Dempster's career was put on hold Aug. 4, 2003 when he had season-ending surgery to remove a bone chip behind his right elbow and to repair a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament.
After being released by the Cincinnati Reds shortly after the surgery, Dempster signed a two-year deal with the Cubs earlier this year.
