Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes is tentatively scheduled to throw a baseball for the first time in more than two weeks on Thursday. He hopes his velocity will return soon after. "I'm confident. I know it just didn't just disappear," Hughes said. "... I'm confident it will be there." The Yankees placed Hughes on the disabled list on April 15 with what the team called "dead arm" after his fastball dipped from the 94-92 mph range he usually reaches to just 89-91 mph this season. Hughes said on Monday that his shoulder has responded well to a cortisone shot administered on April 28, which relieved some muscle inflammation around his shoulder. He hopes to begin a throwing program on Thursday but will be examined by a doctor once more before he gets the green light. "I'm real excited to get going and hopefully this is the issue and we can move on," Hughes said.