Rzepczynski cleared to throw after eye injury

JUPITER, Fla. -- Three days after injuring his left eye during a round of golf, Marc Rzepczynski was granted clearance from an eye doctor to resume throwing off the mound on Monday.

After nearly three days of rest, the Cardinals' lefty made a stop in the clubhouse on Monday. From there he went with trainer Greg Hauck for a follow-up visit to the eye doctor who saw him shortly after the incident happened on Friday.

The doctor told Rzepczynski that his eye was 80-90 percent improved since the last visit and gave him permission to resume driving, throwing and lying down. Rzepczynski suffered no damage to his retina.

"Being able to throw off a mound is the best thing I've heard since Friday," Rzepczynski said. "It's looking better. He said there should be no permanent damage."

Rzepczynski said that he hopes to play catch on Tuesday. He will not, though, get on the mound right away.

"We're just going to be patient on this because it's a little bit [of a] unique injury, and give him a couple more days," general manager John Mozeliak said from Tampa, where the Cardinals faced the Yankees on Monday. "But hopefully by the end of the week, he's back and able to throw a 'pen."

Because there is still inflammation in his eye, Rzepczynski has been told not to work out or do anything that causes much physical exertion. That includes no appearances in Grapefruit League games. Rzepczynski will see the eye doctor again on Wednesday, and hopes to get game clearance then.

As long as there is still inflammation, Rzepczynski will be dealing with blurred vision. He is also unlikely to wear contacts for some time, which could require that the reliever invest in some eye wear to use on the field.

"I have a pretty good abrasion on the eye," Rzepczynski said. "I can see stuff out of it, but I can't see it clear. It's like I have a really bad prescription right now."

Though Monday's visit helped assure Rzepczynski that he won't suffer any long-term effects from the injury, it did not eliminate questions about his readiness for Opening Day, which sits three weeks away. Rzepczynski, who had been slowed by left biceps tightness earlier in camp, has pitched only four innings so far this spring.

Rzepczynski will never know exactly what stung his eye after he took his second swing during a golfing outing with teammates Randy Choate, Seth Maness and Lance Lynn. Rzepczynski is fairly confident that he wasn't struck by the golf ball -- since that traveled about 50 feet away from him -- so he assumes a piece of dirt or debris just kicked up and went into his eye.

"I also look back on it, too, if it was a ball, I probably wouldn't be here right now," Rzepczynski added. "I'd probably be getting my eye operated on. It had to be a piece of dirt that ricocheted off a tree. I have no idea. I hate that it happened off the field, but I'm happy to have most of my eyesight back."

Rzepczynski had trouble opening his eye on Friday, but the swelling had subsided significantly by Monday. His eye was no longer bloody either, though part of it was still red from the inflammation. He spent his weekend stuck in his condo doing anything that didn't require him to move his head.

He slept sitting up with the assistance of four pillows and sometimes wore an eye patch in order to keep a straight line of vision. By ensuring that his head stayed level, Rzepczynski was able to make sure blood didn't rush to the back of his eye.

"Big, big, big improvement," Rzepczynski said. "I'm very happy to where it's come."

Greinke scratched - received an injection

PHOENIX -- Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke received an injection of platelet-rich plasma and anti-inflammatory medication in his right elbow Monday in Los Angeles, will rest for two to three days and then return to a progressive throwing program, the club announced.

Greinke was scratched from his scheduled start Monday vs. the Brewers and instead flew to Los Angeles to be examined by team Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who diagnosed inflammation but no structural damage, confirming results of an MRI taken last week.

Greinke missed a bullpen session 10 days ago because of discomfort in the back of the elbow, missed a start five days ago because of the flu, then threw an impressive bullpen session Friday without issues.

But the discomfort in the back of his elbow returned when he played catch Sunday. The club said the decision to send Greinke for an exam was made "out of an abundance of caution."

Greinke has told the club he's dealt with similar elbow issues in the past that never kept him from missing a start. However, the injury puts his availability to make his first scheduled regular-season start April 2 in jeopardy.

"The fact that he's not here is a little bit of a concern," manager Don Mattingly said before ElAttrache's diagnosis was known. "Listening to Zack, he can pitch with this. I know we're being really cautious.

"As a player, it clears the mind when you know nothing is going to get hurt by doing this. I was standing in during his bullpen and if that's him hurting with something serious going on, it would be a shocker."

Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was already scheduled to pitch on Monday, started in Greinke's place and allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three.

Greinke was signed to a $147 million contract in December (the richest ever for a right-hander at the time) after exceeding 200 innings in four of the last five seasons. He missed time in 2011 because of a broken rib suffered in a spring pickup basketball game that left him on the disabled list throughout April.

He has made only two starts this spring for a total of five innings, while Opening Day starter Clayton Kershaw made his fourth start on Sunday and has pitched 13 innings.

Yanks targeting veteran Lee for first-base job

TAMPA, Fla. -- No name is off limits as Brian Cashman casts his wide net for potential lineup help. The Yankees' general manager confirmed on Monday that he has reached out to veterans Derrek Lee and Scott Rolen to gauge their interest on playing this season.

Saying that the calls show how "creative we would like to be" in filling the vacancy created by Mark Teixeira's injury, Cashman added that he would also love to fit Chipper Jones for pinstripes, calling the retired Braves icon's demeanor and skill set a "Yankee-type" match.

"Don't you think Chipper would be a perfect fit? Larry?" Cashman said. "I'd take Larry in a heartbeat. I think everybody would. I already know the answer, but I might as well throw it out there anyway."

During a dugout conversation with reporters, Cashman said that he could not find the contact information for Jones' agent and asked for the idea of Chipper as a Yankee to be floated on Twitter. Cashman did not have to wait very long for a response.

"Enough with the rumors!" Jones tweeted on Monday. "While I am flattered about the speculation of being enticed out of retirement, I'm happy with life as a bad golfer!"

Jones' agent, B.B. Abbott, told MLB.com that Jones had been "very flattered" by Cashman's comments and has the "utmost respect for the Yankee organization." Ultimately, Abbott said, Jones' "legacy is and always will be with the Braves."

The incident outlined just how caught off guard the Yankees were by the dual injuries to Teixeira and Curtis Granderson this spring, deleting two huge power threats from the lineup for at least the first month of the regular season.

Informed of Cashman's comments, Yankees captain Derek Jeter wondered aloud if the GM planned to find a few other notable names in his rolodex.

"He call Mike Schmidt, too? Call everybody," Jeter cracked. "We have guys here. We'll play with who's here. ... I think Chipper is at home right now. Unless we've got a golf team, I don't think there's a reason to call him up."

So the Yankees have no realistic expectations of luring Jones away from the links, and Cashman added that his impression is that Rolen has chosen not to play this season. Rolen hit .245 with eight homers and 39 RBIs last season with Cincinnati.

"I had a conversation, but nothing to report," Cashman said. "I'm just exploring what options are out there and at what cost. ... I think he chose not to play. I think he had a legitimate offer from the Reds and he chose not to play, is my understanding."

The chances of signing the 37-year-old Lee seem to have gained some traction. A three-time Gold Glove Award winner who last played in 2011 with the Pirates, Lee is said to have been "intrigued" by the opportunity with the Yankees created by Teixeira's strained forearm.

"I reached out to him. I expressed an interest," Cashman said. "He's the type of player that is Yankee-like in terms of capabilities when he was playing and makeup for the clubhouse and stuff like that. I just planted the seed, if you have an interest in thinking of playing, let me know. That was it."

Cashman said that he received a positive endorsement of Lee from Jim Hendry, the former Cubs general manager and Cashman's current assistant, and said that his understanding is that Lee could be in physical condition to play quickly.

"If he still was game, I bet you he still has game," Cashman said. "I think he's intrigued and probably has his mind thinking right now. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

The Yankees have been entertaining the idea of playing Dan Johnson or Juan Rivera at first base in Teixeira's absence.

They have also given thought to moving Kevin Youkilis across the infield to first base if they can find a palatable option at third base; Eduardo Nunez, Jayson Nix and Ronnier Mustelier have all been considered.

Mustelier played third base on Monday against the Cardinals, and though he did not have a ball hit at him, Cashman said that his bat is making the Yankees give a closer inspection.

"His bat is making him have a chance," Cashman said. "We'll see what we see the rest of camp with his glove, but he can hit."

So far, however, none of the candidates in camp have given Cashman a reason to stop digging into his phone book for the team's needs.

"We're looking at what we have here," Cashman said. "We're going to look at what's playing outside of here, and we're going to look at -- in a few select cases -- what's not playing at all.

"But that 'What's not playing at all' category, those are unique players, in my opinion. Past that, if you're not playing, there's a reason for it."

Beltre back in the swing with successful debut

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Adrian Beltre's right calf was tested from all angles on Monday, and it held up just fine in his spring debut -- a prospect that bodes well for both the Texas Rangers and the Dominican Republic.

"Coming out of the box quick, swinging hard, a quick reaction at third -- everything went fine," the Rangers third baseman said after he was removed in the fifth inning of a victory over San Diego.

In order to maximize his at-bats in as few innings as possible, Beltre led off and roped a double down the right-field line in his first spring at-bat. He looked comfortable sprinting to first before slowing his stride to cruise into second. He finished the day 1-for-3 with a run and reached in the third inning on an error.

Beltre was also tested in the field, starting a nifty around-the-horn double play on a sharp liner to his left that he initially dropped. An inning later, he was forced to backpedal awkwardly onto the outfield grass, but made his play on a routine popup look, well, routine.

If everything goes according to plan -- meaning Beltre's calf continues to heal and the Dominican Republic squad advances past the first round -- Beltre will join his native country in Miami for the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

"It's hard to say," Beltre said when asked if he would have to move along any quicker than usual in order to prepare himself for the Classic. "I'll see how I feel and see if I'm healthy enough to force it and do everything 100 percent. Today was a good test, and it felt fine, and we'll see how it goes the next day."

So what are Beltre's plans when the Dominican Republic takes the field for Pool C action on Thursday night against Venezuela in San Juan, Puerto Rico? He'll be watching and cheering along with the rest of his countrymen.

"I'm always the biggest fan regarding my country," Beltre said.

Despite a team loaded with star power, the Dominican Republic is by no means a lock for a berth in the second round. Pool C is considered by most to be the toughest group in the Classic, featuring Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Spain.

Beltre didn't play in the '09 edition, when the Dominicans were upset twice by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and didn't advance past the first round.

"Last [time] wasn't pretty," Beltre said. "But stuff happens. It's a short series, anything can happen. I hope they do better than what they did in the last one."

"They took the Netherlands probably too lightly last WBC," Beltre added. "This year, they're going to go maybe more hungry."

In the meantime, Beltre will be doing his part by prepping for a chance to jump into action on March 12 at Marlins Park. What that entails is being comfortable enough to play at full speed for a nine-inning game.

The next step in that process is a day off Tuesday, followed by a start Wednesday in which he'll likely see six or seven innings of action. Beltre added that his mental readiness for a nine-inning affair is just as important to him as the physical preparation.

Rangers manager Ron Washington agreed, saying he's not too concerned with sending his three-time All-Star star third baseman away for up to eight days.

"When he leaves he'll be playing baseball, so he'll be continuing to get swings," Washington said. "It's not like he's leaving and all of a sudden he won't be working. He's going to continue to work."

Fortunately for Beltre, at this point in his career, he doesn't need much to feel ready for a season. He put the number at only 20 or so plate appearances. Anything after that, he said, is just extra practice.

"I don't need a lot of at-bats," Beltre said. "Again, it depends how I feel, but most of my good years have been when I take less at-bats in Spring Training."

At 33, Beltre is coming off the second-best season of his career -- a season in which he finished third in the voting for American League Most Valuable Player. In 2012, he hit .321 and slugged .561, while notching 36 homers and 102 RBIs. He also won his fourth Gold Glove Award.

So what does he have to do in order to feel that same level of preparedness for when the meaningful games start this time around?

"It's just about having that right feeling, especially offensively," Beltre said. "Defensively it's easier. It comes back fast. Offensively, you need to find that little groove where you feel comfortable."

Napoli gets tested right out of chute in debut

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The way Mike Napoli's Grapefruit League season started on Friday night was almost comical.

For all the attention paid to Napoli's move to first base, not to mention his hip condition, it was only fitting that the very first pitch of the game presented him with a test.

Pirates leadoff man Darren Ford opened the game with a push bunt over to Napoli, who fielded it cleanly and raced to the bag, getting the sliding Ford by a split second.

Dustin Pedroia looked over at Napoli from his position at second base and the teammates shared a laugh.

"Pedey was looking at me and I was like, 'Right out of the chute.' It was funny," said Napoli. "I'm glad I was able to make the play."

Considering Napoli played all of four innings in the Red Sox's 5-2 victory on Friday, he was involved in a lot of action, both in the field and on the bases.

And much to the relief of Red Sox fans, who know full well that his original contract agreement of three years at $39 million ended up being reduced to one year and $5 million, he passed every test with ease.

"I was excited," Napoli said. "I was really excited to get out there. I did everything I could possibly do. I feel great, and we can move on from here."

Up next for Napoli will be a 1:35 p.m. ET game on Sunday against the Yankees. It's hard to imagine Napoli will be as involved in that one as he was in his debut.

Napoli, batting in the cleanup spot, got his first at-bat in the bottom of the first and promptly ripped a single off the foot of Pirates starter Jeff Locke and into left field.

"Yeah, it's nice. I feel good," Napoli said. "My BP has been great working in the cage. My hands are working freely right now and I'm going to keep working."

Once Napoli got on base, there was plenty of running to do. Stephen Drew ripped a double into the right-field corner and Napoli roared to third. Before having a chance to catch his breath, he hustled home on a wild pitch.

"I've been working hard to get on the field and get myself in shape and do whatever I have to do to get out there," said Napoli. "We've done it and I'm out on the field and we're going to progress to get my legs under me and play as many innings as possible."

Once Napoli got back in the field again in the second, the ball continued to find him. Pedro Alvarez hit a grounder to Napoli, and he looked like a natural, feeding pitcher Jon Lester for the out. Two batters later, Napoli roamed in front of the photo pit on the first-base side and caught a foul pop off the bat of Brandon Inge.

Just when it seemed there wasn't another play that could test Napoli, Lester fielded a slow roller by Jose Tabata and fired a one-hopper to first to end the top of the third. It went in the sweet spot of Napoli's mitt.

"I'm just glad he caught it," said Lester. "Nap did a good job. We got the out, so that's the main thing."

Those who watch the Red Sox work out on a daily basis at Spring Training know how much work Napoli has done on defense.

How many ground balls has infield instructor Brian Butterfield hit to him?

"A thousand? I don't know," Napoli said. "It's been a lot, but you know, I told Butter, 'I want to work every day and make myself the best I can possibly be out there.'"

It isn't as if Napoli has never played first base. He has started 118 games there in his career, but there's a huge difference between the catcher who plays first base to rest his legs or the first baseman who plays the position all the time.

This is the first time Napoli has been able to work so extensively on his defense at first.

"No, because I was always catching," Napoli said. "When I was playing first that day, I would go out and take ground balls. I didn't really get to work on footwork and all that kind of stuff a lot. I basically went out there and tried to make the routine play and knock it down and get it to the pitcher."

At least on Friday night, Napoli looked like someone who could turn into a pretty reliable first baseman.

"When you consider how many plays Mike had over at first base, we couldn't draw it up probably any better in the four innings of work that he had there," said manager John Farrell. "A number of three to one feeds to the pitcher, a couple of picks in the dirt. He did a very good job. First pitch of the game that he sees, here's a push bunt his way and he's thrown right into the mix. But he handled everything flawlessly."

It was a good first step.

"I felt good. I felt comfortable over there," Napoli said. "I should, after all the work we've put in on the backfields and just working on it. Everything felt good, my legs felt good and I was happy to be in there."

Halladay showing promising signs of return to form

TAMPA, Fla. -- It might not yet be the time to proclaim that Roy Halladay is back to normal -- to say that he's a completely different pitcher than the one who sputtered to a slow start last spring, never got on track and had to battle through one of the worst seasons of his career.

But, as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel put it after Halladay's second start of the spring, "he's definitely getting there."

Halladay made his second Grapefruit League appearance Friday against the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field, giving up one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three over 2 1/3 innings. His usually pinpoint command appeared to evade him at times, including one curveball that skidded all the way to the backstop, but he threw 44 pitches (26 strikes), with his fastball clocking in around 88-91 mph as he focused mostly on mixing in cutters and curveballs.

The most interesting test for Halladay came as a result of what the Phillies' lineup did in the second and third innings Friday.

Halladay said he struggled last year with having to get back on the mound after sitting in the dugout, especially after Philadelphia would put up big offensive innings with long rallies. Dealing with lower back problems that eventually led to upper back and shoulder issues and affected his delivery, Halladay spent this offseason working on strengthening his lower half and core to improve his lower-body strength.

So when the Phillies put up two runs in each of the first three innings and turned over the lineup twice, Halladay was pleased with the way he managed to bounce back. In his mind, that was a step in the right direction.

"Before, those were the innings that would kill me, so I feel good right now, the way I feel physically and conditioning-wise," Halladay said. "Really, I think that is ahead of everything else, and it's a matter of just fine-tuning the pitches. I've never thrown cutters and curveballs, really, in Spring Training, so it's kind of normal for me to start mixing them in right now and trying to get comfortable with it.

"The up-and-downs and the long innings got me more than anything. So physically I feel real good, and strength-wise I feel good. Really, I feel like now it's a matter of more regular Spring Training, just fine-tuning those pitches, getting comfortable."

But this is still Spring Training, of course, and Halladay wasn't perfect. He missed the strike zone up and away, especially to right-handed hitters, saying that was a product of trying to work on sinkers and cutters outside. He had two meetings with catcher Steven Lerud in the first inning, changing signs and talking through things with a backstop he'd never thrown to.

He admitted his cutter still has "a little ways to go," and he was trying to get an early feel for his curveball. He uncorked one of them for a wild pitch in the first inning, allowing Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli to take second base after reaching on an infield single.

"It just shows that he's human and he lets one fly every now and then," Manuel said. "One gets away from him, he's all right."

"Just getting a feel for it, getting it comfortable in your hand," added Halladay. "More than anything, I felt that was the big thing -- sometimes it just didn't feel comfortable in my hand. It's just a matter of throwing it more. I'd thrown eight of them, I think, going into today. Just continuing to throw it and get comfortable with it."

But those are normal Spring Training kinks for any pitcher, even Halladay. The only out-of-the-ordinary part of Halladay's outing, really, was the conversation about cars he found himself having with former Yankee Reggie Jackson after he exited the game.

Cervelli knocked Halladay out of the game with a one-out double in the third inning, and Halladay was charged for the run after Robinson Cano recorded an RBI single into left field off southpaw Cesar Jimenez, who spent last year in Triple-A.

Where the two-time Cy Young Award winner goes from here remains to be seen. He's next scheduled to take the mound Wednesday against the Nationals, and he'll continue to build up strength and mix in all his pitches for the remaining month of Spring Training.

We won't truly know if Halladay is completely over what bothered him last year until the regular season is under way. But he says he feels good, and right now, that's enough for Manuel to believe he's on his way to pitching like the old Roy Halladay.

"He's coming along. He's ahead of where he was this time last year. He's going to be fine," Manuel said. "I like where Roy's at, really. We ... bring him up slow, get him to 100 [pitches] and he holds up, he'll be ready and healthy."