Dodgers' Zack Greinke could be back next week Zack Greinke is returning to form faster than the Dodgers had hoped after he injured his left collarbone in an altercation with the Padres' Carlos Quinten last month. Paul Sancya / Associated Press / February 24, 2013 May 9, 2013, 7:30 p.m. Zack Greinke could be back in the Dodgers' rotation as early as next week. He is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game Friday. Less than four weeks removed from an operation on his non-throwing shoulder, Greinke is expected to start for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in Lake Elsinore. That would line up Greinke to pitch Wednesday against the Washington Nationals in the final game of the Dodgers' nine-game homestand. If Greinke is reinstated from the disabled list Wednesday, he would be returning more than three weeks ahead of schedule. When Greinke underwent surgery April 13 to repair a fractured left collarbone, the Dodgers estimated he would be sidelined for eight weeks. Greinke was injured in only his second start on the season, on April 11, when San Diego Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin charged him on the mound. Greinke resumed throwing soon after his operation, which allowed him to maintain his arm strength. He has touched 90 mph in recent bullpen sessions. With Greinke throwing about 60 pitches in his latest bullpen session, he expects to throw close to 75 pitches Friday. "I don't know how I'd be throwing over 100 pitches, but throwing 50 to 75 should be pretty easy at this point," Greinke said this week. Greinke is on the same pitching schedule as rookie Matt Magill, whom he is expected to replace in the rotation. Greinke was signed to a six-year, $147-million contract over the winter to be a right-handed complement to ace Clayton Kershaw. His return should not only restore stability to a rotation that has already used nine pitchers but also lessen the burden on the team's overworked bullpen. Left-hander Scott Elbert is also expected to pitch for Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. Elbert, who underwent two elbow operations over the winter, has been on the disabled list all season.