Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson had offseason surgery for a herniated disc, missing all of the Grapefruit League and starting the season on the disabled list. But he's close to a return, and deep into the rehab process.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Hudson, who had given up six runs in seven innings in two Single-A starts, allowed two hits, three walks and struck out four on Wednesday, throwing 48 of his 76 pitches for strikes. He coaxed eight groundball outs.

Atlanta has one of the most jam-packed rotations in the game, with majors-ready prospects in the #6 and #7 spots of their ideal rotation when Hudson returns. But Randall Delgado has looked impressive enough in the #5 spot, and Mike Minor rebounded from a rough start to pitch well. The only Braves pitcher who has been uniformly bad has been Jair Jurrjens, who has allowed 30 runners in just over 13 innings.

It's probably too early to say Jurrjens is on the hot seat, but he's probably under a little more scrutiny than he was when the season started.