SARASOTA, FLA. — While J.J. Hardy's recovery from a left shoulder injury appears to be progressing better than expected, it is still unlikely that Hardy will be able to come off the disabled list when he is eligible a week from Saturday.
Hardy said the swelling in the shoulder had subsided and he has full range of motion.
"It's been good so far," hesaid. "I think every day there's been improvement. We've still got to wait until there's nothing in there before we can really get after it so that way I'm not dealing with a sore shoulder if I try to coming back too soon and I'm dealing with that the whole year. I really want to knock it out."
Hardy said his timetable hasn't changed – on Monday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Hardy would be shelved from baseball activities for 10 days – but he said he feels his recovery is ahead of schedule.
"It seems like everybody what they've expected, it seems like I've been better than what they've expected every day," Hardy said. "I'm encouraged. They're encouraged. It's just a matter of time before its strengthened enough to get back into baseball activities. And then that will be another getting back into baseball shape.
"It's so hard to put a time limit on it," Hardy said. "When we say it's day to day, it really is day to day. We're feeling how we feel today and that will make our plan for tomorrow. It's hard to put a week time limit on it or two weeks. I'm looking at it like it's day to day."
Gonzalez tunes up
Miguel Gonzalez threw 65 pitches in five innings in a Triple-A game on Friday in Port Charlotte, in his final tune up before pitching in the Orioles' third game of the regular season Wednesday at Tampa Bay.
"We definitely have a lot of depth," Gonzalez said. "We have six starters. … I'm definitely excited for this season and being the third starter and definitely throwing the third game in Tampa will be exciting."
Gonzalez said he allowed three homers in Friday's outing in part because the minor leaguers were hunting fastballs.
"It was crazy," Gonzalez said. "First pitch, I threw fastball, he would take. Next pitch, I threw a curveball and then I tried to come back with a fastball. It went over the fence. [I was telling myself,] 'I'm trying to work on something here, guys.'"
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