JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals reliever Kevin Siegrist threw his first bullpen session of Spring Training on Wednesday. He had delayed the start of his Spring Training throwing program after feeling some left shoulder soreness last week.
But Siegrist was happy to report that everything seemed to go well, and he will wait and see how the shoulder feels Thursday.
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Siegrist had been playing catch on flat ground since Friday, and he said that by all indications his first 'pen session was a success. The left-hander isn't ready to rush into the Grapefruit League season, but he said he hopes he's not far away from making an appearance.
"It was good," said Siegrist, who threw about 25 pitches. "Everything was fine. [I threw] all fastballs and changeups. No pain, nothing like that. Now it's just all about building back up to get ready to throw in games. I feel good so far."
But he will see how he feels on Thursday and then still take it slow from there.
"I'm still not really rushing anything," Siegrist said. "Just taking everything day by day, see how I feel tomorrow. But everything feels good today. I did a nice little workout and responded real well to everything. So just keep moving forward."
The next step will be to begin a normal workout routine. Siegrist said that if all goes well, he could get back on a schedule that would include a few more bullpens with a day off in between, before perhaps facing some hitters.
Siegrist said he felt somewhat awkward on the mound, but that's to be expected.
"I know everyone this time of year kind of fights that," he said. "So it's just a matter of getting more comfortable on the mound. But that should come quick."
Siegrist, a 41st-round Draft pick of the Cardinals in 2008, is projected to be the team's setup man in 2017. In four seasons with the Cardinals, Siegrist is 17-9 with a 2.70 ERA over 230 appearances, all in relief.