The Royals are expected to be without All-Star closer Joakim Soria until at least the beginning of June. He threw 25 pitches off the bullpen mound recently that served as the latest test in his recovery from a strained right rotator cuff. "I threw all of my pitches," Soria said, "and it felt good. I'm making progress. Right now, I feel I could throw a (full-scale workout in the) bullpen. We'll see how I feel (today)." Kansas City plans to send him on a rehab assignment once he's ready, which means early June is a best-case scenario. "I want to get him back," manager Trey Hillman said, "but I don't want to be flipping a coin over whether we're going to have him available for a couple of days in a row. We want to have him at full tilt."