B.J. 'making progress,' but no timetable yet

NEW YORK -- B.J. Upton has not reached a point where he is ready to project when he might be activated from the disabled list. But the Braves center fielder is encouraged because his strained right adductor muscle is not bothering him nearly as much as it was a week ago.

"It definitely feels a lot better than last week," Upton said. "I'm definitely making progress, and I don't see it being too much longer."

When Upton was cleared for light jogging exercises Monday, it marked his first on-field activity since straining the adductor muscle on July 12. He hit off a tee on Tuesday and was hoping to be cleared to begin increasing his swinging activities over the next few days.

Upton will not be ready to be activated when he becomes eligible to come off the disabled list on Saturday. But if he continues to make progress, there is a chance he could begin a Minor League rehab stint next week.