Feldman optimistic about improvement

HOUSTON -- Speaking at length for the first time since he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee, an injury sustained a week ago, Scott Feldman was unclear as to a definitive timetable for his return but optimistic about his treatment regimen thus far.

"I think once I start throwing and all that, I'll get a better idea," said Feldman, who was on crutches in the clubhouse before Tuesday's game against Baltimore. "Right now [I'm] just trying to get the movement back in the leg. Being able to walk without crutches is the first step, I think."

Feldman was injured during his start against Baltimore on May 26 when he reached to field a grounder in the fifth inning.

"I felt something kind of tweak in my knee," he said. "Next thing I know, middle of the night that night, it was just all puffy and swollen."

Feldman had an MRI in Houston on Thursday and underwent surgery on Friday.

He said his recovery has improved since the procedure after he was fooled into some false optimism when he was released from the hospital.

"I walked out of the surgery without crutches because I was on so much pain medicine," he said with a laugh. "I was like, 'Oh, man, this is going to be easy.' Next day it didn't feel so good. But it's been a steady, steady improvement from there, just getting more and more range of motion every day."

Feldman has been playing catch sitting down and thinks he should be able to begin standing and throwing "within the next few days."

Until then he'll begrudgingly stick to watching games from the training room.

"It [stinks] when it happens during the season and you have to miss time, especially when the team's playing so well," he said. "I guess it's more fun to watch the games when the team's playing well than when they're not."

Castro available but sore: On Tuesday, one day removed from taking an Ubaldo Jimenez fastball off his right knee, catcher Jason Castro felt as he should, according to manager A.J. Hinch.

"He's pretty sore," Hinch said. "He's available, and we avoided sort of the bigger injuries. But he feels as you should when you get hit in the knee by a fastball."

Hinch added that Castro, who was receiving treatment pregame, would be available off the bench if needed.