JUPITER, Fla. - Brendan Ryan's pursuit of a starting job with the St. Louis Cardinals is being slowed by tendinitis in his right wrist.
The 26-yearold infielder is among several players seeking the regular role at second base, but he could also see playing time this season at shortstop and third base. He fielded grounders Monday but doesn't expect to swing a bat until Friday at the earliest.
Ryan said the soreness he is experiencing is similar to what he felt at the end of last season, when he hit .244 in 80 major league games. He batted .289 in 2007.
"It's not like I'm worried about a tear or something," Ryan said. "I think it's just swollen, so I'm going to take it easy for a few days."
Ryan has been a utility player in parts of the last two seasons, shuffling between Class AAA Memphis and St. Louis.
The second base job is open after Aaron Miles left as a free agent and Adam Kennedy was waived earlier this month. Among the other candidates is Skip Schumaker, who has spent his entire professional career as an outfielder.
CUBS
Zambrano says shoulder OK
MESA, Ariz. - Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano says his shoulder is just fine and he'd like to look ahead, rather than back to last season.
He is showing no signs of the problems that hampered him last season, although the team is taking a conservative approach with its ace this spring.
"Physically, I feel the best I've ever felt in spring training," Zambrano said Monday after a free-and-easy throwing session against hitters. "I'm not a rookie. I know what to do and I know my job here is to get ready."
Last season he had a stint on the disabled list in June - his first trip to the DL in six years - and needed an injection in early September for a sore shoulder. But later that month, he pitched a no-hitter against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee.
Zambrano spent the off-season strengthening his shoulder, and the Cubs sent a trainer to his native Venezuela to work with him.
"It's important," he said. "I won't want that to happen to me again this year."
Zambrano went 14-6 with a 3.91 ERA last season. He was 10-3 with a 2.84 ERA in 18 starts before the All-Star Game - in which he pitched two innings. But after the break, he was 4-3 in 12 starts with a 5.80 ERA. He also was the loser in Game 2 of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers when shaky Chicago fielding led to four unearned runs.
BLUE JAYS
Outfielder hurts hamstring
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells injured his left hamstring during drills and could be sidelined for most of spring training.
It's the same hamstring that kept Wells out for a month last season. The two-time All-Star was scheduled for a magnetic resonance imaging.
Wells missed 52 games because of injuries in 2008. He broke his left wrist making a sliding catch early in the season, then returned to the disabled list July 10 with a strained left hamstring.
A three-time Gold Glove winner, Wells hit .300 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI in 108 games last year. He spent the off-season working with a personal trainer, hoping to strengthen hamstrings that have bothered him for years.
RED SOX
Penny feels fine
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Boston Red Sox right-hander Brad Penny felt fine after throwing batting practice for the first time in spring training.
Penny threw 30 pitches Monday and said the session answered a lot of questions for him, both mentally and physically. His 2008 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers was cut short by shoulder problems, and Boston signed him as a free agent.
"I felt great," Penny said. "Today, for me, answered a lot of questions, mentally and physically. I didn't even know what to expect going out there the first time facing hitters, but everything felt great."
Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said Penny would have two days off between batting practice sessions instead of the one day off for most pitchers. But Farrell said that barring a setback, Penny will be ready for the start of the regular season. He's scheduled for his first spring training start March 5. After consecutive 16-victory seasons with the Dodgers, Penny finished at 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA. He went 1-7 after May 2.
NATIONALS
Pitcher released
VIERA, Fla. - The Washington Nationals released disgruntled pitcher Odalis Perez on Monday, a day after he failed to show up at spring training by the mandatory reporting deadline.
Perez, 31, signed a minor league contract with Washington on Feb. 5 that would have paid him $850,000 if he made the team. In recent days, however, the left-hander said he wanted a better deal.
Perez was 7-12 with a 4.34 ERA in 30 starts for the Nationals last season.
WEDNESDAY'S GAMES - All times Central
NY Mets vs. Baltimore at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Florida vs. St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Washington vs. Houston at Kissimmee, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Atlanta vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 12:05 p.m. NY Yankees vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Cincinnati vs. Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels at Tempe, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Oakland vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 2:05 p.m. San Francisco vs. Cleveland at Goodyear, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Seattle vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Kansas City vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Arizona vs. Colorado at Tucson, Ariz., 2:10 p.m. Boston vs. Minnesota at Fort Myers, Fla., 6:05 p.m.
Originally Published at: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/253340/
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