Josh Beckett insists that he will be ready for the start of the 2014 season after having a rib removed last July in a surgery to alleviate a nerve condition that was affecting his right arm.

"I don't have numbness and tingling, anymore," Beckett said.

Beckett is expected to battle Paul Maholm for the fifth spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting rotation this spring.

"I'm not tentative," said Beckett. "I'm going to throw as hard as I can and see what happens. Right now, I feel great. I'll throw the ball until I blow out and I'm hoping that's not for a few more years."