After dealing with a number of injuries and illnesses during the 2011 season, Joe Mauer has declared himself healthy and ready to go. Mauer started baseball activities recently and hasn't been bothered by any injuries, including his surgically-repaired knee. "The knee's been feeling great," Mauer said. "The last year and a half, just trying to compensate for that kind of took a toll on my whole body. I don't think it's going to be an issue. I'm feeling good, so I'm excited. This is the best I've felt in a long time. I'm excited about that." Mauer was just six weeks removed from knee surgery this time last year, and said there's a drastic difference between the way he felt then and how he feels now. "This point last year, for me it's been night and day physically for how I feel," Mauer said. "I really was just kind of doing rehab stuff with the knee. I don't think I grabbed a bat until, I don't even know, later. I feel good. I'm excited to get out there on the field and move around. Things are a lot better for me physically than they were last year." Mauer, 28, was limited to 82 games last season, as he missed time with bilateral leg weakness, neck stiffness, a viral infection and an upper respiratory infection that turned into a bout with pneumonia that ended his season on Sept. 14.