Mets manager Jerry Manuel says pitcher Kelvim Escobar could begin the season on the disabled list. Escobar, who was expected to be the team's setup man, hasn't been throwing this spring due to weakness in his right shoulder. "I don't see it right now," Manuel said. "Hopefully I'm wrong, but that I don't see."

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez has been suffering from pink eye in both his eyes for more than a week. "What can I tell you," Rodriguez said. "I haven't gotten improvement yet. It hasn't been going away at all." The condition started in his left eye, but it quickly spread to his right as well. "At first I thought it was allergies," he said. "I kept rubbing it and didn't pay attention. I can do all my work with the goggles, but without them I can't see at all."

Indians outfielder Matt LaPorta is recovering from surgery on his left big toe and left hip. LaPorta says March 10 is the tentative date for him to start playing Cactus League games. He has been pushed from first base to left field with the arrival of free-agent Russell Branyan. "I can't worry about positions until I'm 100 percent," LaPorta said.

The Tigers are pleased with the progress of Brandon Inge, but they won't rush him back to the field. "We have to be careful, but we're really kind of pleased with his health," manager Jim Leyland said. "His knees feel a lot better than he thought they would at this point." Asked about when his third baseman might get into a game, Leyland replied, "That may happen earlier than we expected. We could DH him in a game so he could at least hit -- track the ball a little bit. "But when I say that, it seems like he is ahead of schedule physically, but I don't want to make a big deal about it and have it look like we're putting pressure on him to play. "I want to make sure it's right. We can't afford to blow it and have a setback. I'll watch him, but I know it's feeling good because he was telling me it's much better than he thought it would be."

Red Sox third baseman Adrian Beltre twisted his right ankle earlier this week, but it has improved quickly. During drills Wednesday, Beltre attempted to swat a baseball out of the way with his mitt, but missed and stepped on the ball. "It was weird," he said. "But it's much, much better. I'm glad it's not as bad as it looked. I took it a little slower today and thankfully it was nothing serious."

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has come to the realization that he may have to rest at times. "I'm finally going to let myself relax and realize that spring training doesn't matter," Morneau said. "It's just about getting ready for the season. It doesn't matter how many hits you get in spring training. I'm going to be playing first base. I don't need to be fully ready to play that first game of spring training, I need to be fully ready to play the first game of the season."

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton had X-rays on his "very sore" shoulder Thursday and the results were negative. He didn't participate in workouts on Thursday after falling while chasing a fly ball during outfield drills Wednesday.

Whether fairly or not, J.D. Drew has developed a reputation as someone who doesn?t play through injuries. He played 137 games in 2009, but has played 145 only once in his 12-year career. But Drew was playing last year with an injury severe enough that it required offseason surgery, though he made little issue of it during the 2009 campaign. Drew had bone spurs in his shoulder that would cause him pain when he swung, often forcing him to cut short bating practice. The injury bothered him most during the second half of the season, enough so that he took the last four days of the regular season off to let it rest, and received a cortisone shot to settle down any inflammation in the area. The pain never cleared up, and so after the season Drew went under the knife. ?The bone spurs, like I said, were just a nagging thing. Once the game started, the adrenaline started rolling, you really didn?t think about it once you got a guy out there throwing 96 miles per hour and you had to make contact,? Drew said. Keeping Drew healthy and productive is the responsibility of Terry Francona. ?The more he?s on the field, the better team we are,? said Francona. ?He understands that. It?s my responsibility, our responsibility, if he needs a day off to give him one before it turns into four. He?s had shoulder problems. He?s had finger issues, but it?s easier now that I know him.?

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton left the team's workout on Wednesday with a shoulder injury. Hamilton suffered a left shoulder contusion when he fell while chasing a fly ball during outfield drills. "I just fell and landed on my shoulder and bruised my shoulder," he said. "We'll give it 12 to 24 hours and see how it goes."

Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session before feeling the pain in his lower back and hip. "I have been through this so many times I don't panic anymore," Duchscherer said Wednesday. "I just go talk to the trainers and doctors and get their opinion." This time it led to a medical procedure Tuesday to relieve discomfort in his lower back. "I needed quite a bit of sedation," Duchscherer said. "They couldn't get me under enough Monday, that's why I had to wait until yesterday. They gave me some and it didn't work, so they gave me more and then I woke up and we were done."