TORONTO -- The Blue Jays continue to work the phones, keeping tabs on the progress of closer B.J. Ryan and third baseman Scott Rolen down in Florida. On Sunday, there was only good news coming out of Toronto's complex.

Ryan, who is making his way back from the major reconstructive surgery that he had on his left elbow in May, turned in a flawless performance in a Minor League game on Saturday, and the southpaw subsequently informed the Blue Jays that he's feeling the best he has since getting back on a mound.

Rolen is scheduled to have a pin removed from his broken right middle finger on Monday, but he has already started taking part in numerous baseball activities. In a best-case scenario, Ryan could be back in Toronto's bullpen by next week, and Rolen could rejoin the club before the end of the month.

The Blue Jays are going to make sure Ryan and Rolen are completely healthy before activating either player from the 15-day disabled list. Toronto manager John Gibbons knows that's the most important thing to keep in mind, especially when dealing with these particular pair of players.

"They're going to push it," said Gibbons, referring to both Ryan and Rolen. "They aren't going to drag it out -- that's for sure. They'll be pushing to go before they may even be ready. That's just their mentality."

On Saturday, Ryan needed only nine pitches to complete an inning of work in a Florida State League game with Class A Dunedin. The 32-year-old left-hander threw more pitches in the bullpen after his outing, and he's now transitioning into a slightly more strenuous throwing program.

Prior to Saturday, including Spring Training, Ryan was given two days off in between appearances. From now on, he'll pitch every other day to further test his ability to bounce back from normal arm fatigue. Gibbons said Ryan will make two or three more Minor League game appearances before Toronto evaluates his situation.

If all goes well, there's a chance that Ryan could be activated some time during the Jays' upcoming road trip, which begins with a three-game set against the Rangers -- near Ryan's home in Texas. Even if Ryan does return that soon, Toronto may hesitate to use him in consecutive games in April, opting to still have Jeremy Accardo fill in on occasion.

Last season, Ryan had only five outings for the Jays before being sidelined with the elbow injury in April. He underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on May 10, and Accardo saved 30 games as the temporary closer. In 2006, Ryan had a 1.37 ERA and 38 saves in the first season under the five-year, $47 million deal he signed with Toronto.

Rolen, who was acquired from the Cardinals in the January trade that sent third baseman Troy Glaus to St. Louis, suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right middle finger during a routine fielding drill on March 23. One day later, Dr. Thomas Graham performed surgery to repair Rolen's mangled finger in Baltimore.

A pin, which will be removed on Monday, was inserted into the tip of Rolen's finger to help stabilize the bone. Graham informed Rolen that he could possibly return to Toronto's lineup in four to six weeks from the time the third baseman had the operation. That means that Rolen could potentially be activated from the DL anywhere between April 21-May 5.

The 33-year-old Rolen has still been able to field ground balls and has been hitting one-handed for the time being. Throwing remains the biggest uncertainty, considering the location of the injury. At the end of Spring Training, Rolen said he was told not to begin throwing a baseball until around April 14.