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Winker (shoulder) said Friday at Redsfest that he's thrilled with the progress that he's made this offseason at the Reds' spring training facility in Arizona, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports. "My rehab is pretty much over at this point," Winker said. "It's been over for a couple of weeks now. All I'm really doing is shoulder work to maintain. I've started my training, so everything has gone great. Everything has gone smooth. It's gone exactly how everybody involved has wanted it to go, so I'm very excited about that."
This is great news, but pump the brakes just a little bit -- Winker hasn't yet swung a bat and won't be cleared to do so until Jan. 7. The Reds have cleared the runway for Winker to play every day this season, though the news that they said good-bye to Billy Hamilton doesn't mean that Winker will play center field, as he doesn't really have the range for that. Eventually, the club plans on fielding an outfield that's starting both Winker and Nick Senzel.
