López (shoulder) back on the hill for first time since June

Pablo López flashed his strikeout stuff, displayed some rust and navigated a scare during his first Minor League rehab start on Thursday.

Making his way back from a muscle strain in his right shoulder, López allowed four hits and one run in 1 2/3 innings for Triple-A St. Paul. He walked one and struck out two.

López, who last pitched June 3 against the Athletics, was slated to throw three innings or 45 pitches Thursday, whichever came first. That turned out to be the pitch count: After throwing 32 pitches in the first inning, López was pulled after allowing a two-out single in the second on his 45th pitch of the night.

The right-hander averaged 94.1 mph on 22 four-seamers and sinkers, right in line with his 94.4 mph average fastball velocity in the Major Leagues. He struck out the first Round Rock batter he faced, Dustin Harris, on a nifty changeup and fanned Billy McKinney on a curveball to start the second inning.

Of the four hits López allowed, only one -- a first-inning double by Trevor Hauver -- went for extra bases. He gave up a run on a scary play: an Alan Trejo comebacker that hit the heel of López’s glove and ricocheted toward home plate for an infield single. López was visited by the St. Paul training staff after the play but appeared fine and stayed in the game. After walking the next hitter -- veteran catcher Omar Narváez -- he induced a groundout to get out of the inning.

Thursday marked the first of likely several rehab starts for López, who was given a timeline of 8-12 weeks to return when he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right teres major strain in early June. The right-hander’s recovery has been on the longer side of that estimate -- Tuesday will mark 12 weeks since López’s most recent Major League start -- but the Twins have little reason to rush him back. López owns a 2.82 ERA in 12 starts this season, striking out 61 in 60 2/3 innings.

SWR strikes out four in rehab outing

Fellow Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson also made a rehab appearance with St. Paul on Thursday, taking over for the Saints in the fourth inning, and he too had his share of ups and downs.

Woods Richardson (illness), who last pitched for the Twins on July 28, allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four Round Rock hitters, fanning the side in order in an impressive fifth inning, but he gave up three doubles and three runs in the sixth.

It was Woods Richardson’s second rehab outing, following a two-inning appearance for St. Paul on Aug. 15 in which the right-hander struck out four without allowing a run. His next start could come with the Twins during their trip to Toronto from Monday to Wednesday.