Padres righty Chris Young was involved in one of the more horrific plays of the season’s first half when he was hit in the face on May 21 by a line drive off Albert Pujols’ bat. He’s been on the DL since with a skull fracture and had surgery on June 30 to repair his septum so he could breath normally again.

The good news for Young is that his arm was never injured, so his recovery could be speedy. He actually threw some bullpen sessions before his surgery. Young had his first rehab start Wednesday night and saw positive results. He gave up one run in 3.2 innings and had four strikeouts for Class A Lake Elsinor.

Besides getting back into form physically, Young will have to overcome any jitters from being back on the mound again. But he told the San Diego Union-Tribune that wasn’t a problem Wednesday night and he plans to return to the Padres before the end of July.

This is good news for his fantasy owners, who were counting on Young as a No. 2 or 3 starter after going 9-8 with a 3.12 ERA and 167 Ks last year. It’s also good news for the Padres, who are bottom dwellers in the NL West. Young should be able to contribute in the final two months of the season.