Detroit, MI (AP)  -- Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling tested his ailing right shoulder by playing catch on flat ground.

The 41-year-old right-hander threw 25 balls from 60 feet away yesterday, an exercise he'll repeat tomorrow.

Manager Terry Francona called the session "a good step," but added that Schilling is not yet ready to throw off a mound.

Schilling has a tendon injury and possibly a damaged rotator cuff.

The club and the pitcher originally hoped he could be ready around the All-Star break. But Francona says there is no timetable for a return.

Two other injured players are closer to returning to the Red Sox. Infielder Alex Cora, who has a right elbow sprain, is to begin a rehabilitation assignment today with Triple-A Pawtucket. Infielder Sean Casey, who has a right hip strain, will join him tomorrow.