Rafael Soriano is back from the Dominican Republic where he went last weekend for personal reasons, the Braves said, and has been throwing on the side again.

Braves General Manager Frank Wren said Soriano threw twice at the Braves complex in Orlando — on Wednesday and Friday — before returning to Atlanta Saturday.

Wren said Soriano did not report elbow discomfort Friday, which is good news for the reliever who's missed all but two weeks of the season with elbow inflammation.

"He threw at our complex on Friday and looked very good," Wren said. "Kent Willis, who's our minor league pitching coordinator, watched him throw and said he threw the ball very well."

When asked what the next step would be, Wren said, "Just come back here and Roger [McDowell] and Bobby [Cox] will take a look at him and we'll see from there."

So next up is a bullpen session and then a judgment on whether Soriano is ready to be activated from the disabled list. He's been back on it since June 13 when he said his elbow still hurt when he threw. Soriano has had elbow ligament transplant surgery but MRIs have revealed no tears.

Mike Gonzalez is doing all the closing duties now. He threw on back-to-back days Thursday and Friday for the first time since he returned to action 2-1/2 weeks ago. He pitched a scoreless inning both times, striking out three and walking none. He said the elbow is holding up fine; it's just been a matter of learning to throw fewer warm-up pitches.

"I would just throw and throw and before you knew it, I'd thrown 45 pitches," Gonzalez said. "Since surgery, I'm understanding my body a little bit better, understanding my elbow and that I don't need that many pitches to warm up. What I need is eight to 10 and I'm not doing any more than that."

Notable

Matt Diaz (knee) went 0-for-3 with a walk, a strikeout and a stolen base in the first game of his rehabilitation assignment in AA Mississippi Saturday night. Cox said the Braves aren't counting on getting him back until after the All-Star break.

Jonathan Schuerholz, son of Braves president John Schuerholz, is five days into his new job as roving infield instructor for the Braves rookie league teams in Orlando and Danville, Va., and Class A Rome. Schuerholz played six years in the Braves minor league system as an infielder before retiring last August to finish his degree at Auburn.

"I can't believe they're paying me to do this," said Schuerholz, who stopped by Braves batting practice Saturday.