LAWRENCEVILLE - So far, so good in the rehabilitation of Jair Jurrjens.

The erstwhile Atlanta Braves starting pitcher is working his way back from a strained right oblique muscle with the team's Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett and threw 75 pitches in simulated game on Wednesday.

If all goes well, Jurrjens could be back with his Atlanta teammates in time for a start against the Mets on April 16.

"I feel good, really happy," Jurrjens said after his four innings of work. "I feel ready to go.

"My location was good. I still need to work on the change-up a little, but I feel good."

The Braves, though, may choose to be cautious with the 25-year-old who has thrown only one inning against live competition since March 18. The oblique injury originally flared up early in his March 24 spring training start against Toronto and it forced him to miss his final scheduled start in Florida.

He's thrown two bullpen sessions since then, and both went well, according to Jurrjens. But following his most recent session on Sunday, the team chose to place him on the disabled list and recall Mike Minor to fill his spot in the rotation. Minor is slated to make his first start Wednesday against the Brewers.

Meanwhile, Jurrjens is tentatively set to start for Gwinnett in a home game on Monday against Norfolk, and may require another simulated game to get up to 100 pitches before he's considered fully healthy.

If the Braves are taking a slow approach, it's easy to understand why.

Jurrjens looked like a front-line starter for years to come when he went 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA as a 23-year-old rookie in 2008. He was more impressive in 2009, finishing 14-10 with a 2.60 ERA (third in the National League).

But injuries have interrupted Jurrjens' rise to stardom. This is his third stint on the disabled list in the last 12 months. He missed almost all of May and June last season with a hamstring injury and was put on the shelf again in September with a meniscus tear that required offseason knee surgery.

He finished last season making just 20 starts. With a record of 7-6 with a 4.64 ERA, it was by far his most lackluster season to date, and his home run and hit rates were the highest of his career.

After rehabbing from knee surgery in the offseason, early returns were favorable this spring. Then injury intervened again. Through it all though, Jurrjens said he's maintaining a positive attitude.

"Honestly, I'm just trying to get ready," Jurrjens said of his time in Gwinnett. "I just want to go full out and make sure I'm back at 100 percent."