Matt Belisle "doing really, really well" as he rehabs calf strain

Right-hander Matt Belisle is making solid progress as he recovers from a right calf strain. He has been on the disabled list since April 27.

"I'm doing really, really well," Belisle said. "I've been doing a ton of work. It was only about the first 24-hour period where we gave it completely off. We had (platelet-rich plasma therapy) after that, so like 36 hours let that settle in. Since then, it has responded extremely well and I've been hitting rehab really diligently and hard."

The 35-year-old Belisle is confident in his recovery in part because the Nationals medical staff has experience in dealing with calf strains.

Executive director of medical services Harvey Sharman, who is heading up the protocol, has seen injured calves from his days working soccer matches in England. Dr. Robin West, the lead team physician who diagnosed Belisle's injury as a Grade 2 strain, saw similar injuries while working with receivers from the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I've been doing really well and they said I've been doing outstanding," Belisle said.

The Austin, Texas, native had been a consistent contributor in his seven games out of the bullpen for the Nationals. In his first season since coming over from the Cardinals, Belisle is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA in six innings.

The next step is for Belisle to run.

"I've been throwing, I've been doing everything," Belisle said. "The mound and running is next. We're real, real close. My arm feels great because I've been able to keep it up. Just the main thing is to knock down every test that they say and tell them that I'm confident and ready and be honest with them, make sure they have the reins and the whip."

Belisle has gone through rehab from this injury a couple of times already in the most recent seven months.

"There was an initial one that was light and then there was a rough one," Belisle said. "This is kind of the one that I knew would be the precursor to something bad if I were to have pushed it."

He is eligible to come off the disabled list as early as Thursday, the Nationals' off-day this week. But running, mound work and potential rehab outings appear to be his immediate goals before being activated.