Some injury-related notes from around the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues ...
RELATED: Full spring training coverage | Monday scoreboard
- Angels: Reliever Ryan Madson (elbow) threw from flat ground on Monday without setback, and the team believes he's now ready to throw on back-to-back days. (MLB.com)
- Athletics: Closer Grant Balfour, who recently had his knee scoped, was able to throw from flat ground on Monday and could work from a mound by the end of this week. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Cubs: Right-hander Matt Garza, who's sidelined with a strained lat muscle, could still be ready in time for opening day, says manager Dale Sveum. (MLB.com)
- Dodgers: Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford, two core contributors working their way back from serious injuries, could see action at DH by the end of this week. (MLB.com) … RHP Chad Billingsley (elbow) made his return to the mound on Monday. He reported no discomfort and averaged in the low 90s with his fastball. (Dylan Hernandez via Twitter)
- Giants: Ace Matt Cain, who was struck on the knee by a batted ball on Sunday, is expected to make his next scheduled start, which will be Thursday against the Mariners. (MLB.com)
- Mets: Closer Frank Francisco threw long toss with manager Terry Collins on Monday. He's been sidelined this spring with elbow inflammation. (Newark Star-Ledger) ... Collins says ace Johan Santana (back) is responding well to a program of throwing on flat ground. The Mets are hoping he'll be able to see game action by March 10 or 11. (ESPN New York)
- Orioles: Lefty Tsuyoshi Wada threw from a mound for the first time since last April and did so without pain or incident. (MASN)
- Rangers: Manager Ron Washington says DH Lance Berkman (calf strain) is slated to see his first action of the spring by Wednesday or Thursday of this week. (ESPN Dallas)
- Red Sox: 1B Mike Napoli (degenerative condition in both hips) is expected to make his spring debut on Friday against the Pirates. (MLB.com)
- Reds: OF Jay Bruce sat out Monday's action with a sore heel, but manager Dusty Baker says it's not a source of concern. (MLB.com)
- Royals: Alex Gordon was a late scratch Monday because of back spasms, but the outfielder insists he's not seriously injured. (Kansas City Star)
- White Sox: Outfielder Dayan Viciedo was forced to leave Monday's game after being struck on the elbow by a pitch, but he says he's fine. (MLB.com)
- Yankees: Good news on three important fronts for the Yankees, as closer Mariano Rivera and ace CC Sabathia both threw batting practice Monday and reported no problems. As for Derek Jeter (ankle), GM Brian Cashman says his targeted return date is March 10. (New York Post)
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook. Also, individually interact with us on Twitter: @MattSnyder27, @daynperry and @mikeaxisa.
