ST. PETERSBURG -- Brad Miller is looking good. Denard Span was back in the lineup. And Nathan Eovaldi is making progress.
Miller experienced a left-groin strain during the last road trip. He's eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list on Thursday, which is an off-day for the Rays.
Miller said he felt as though he could play right now. Rays manager Kevin Cash added a touch of caution to the equation.
"Brad ran yesterday," Cash said. "Took some ground balls. He hit in the cage today. And we'll see how he bounces back tomorrow. Probably look to get him on a rehab assignment. Joe Binge [Rays head athletic trainer] has done a nice job. Brad has done a nice job with the rehab process. Hopefully there's no more hiccups because we're missing his bat in the lineup. But we want to do right by Brad, making sure he gets his reps in. Also, when he does come back so he can make his contributions."
Span did not play on Saturday, but was back in the lineup as the DH on Sunday.
Span "was a little achy," Cash said. "A full body ache yesterday. He was able to come back fine. [He could have] pinch-hit yesterday if [they needed him to]. Get him back out there. He'll probably play some outfield here going forward."
Eovaldi, who would have been in the Rays' starting rotation, had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. When asked about a timeline for Eovoldi's return, Cash answered, "Nothing other than he's progressing."
"We know with Nate, the way he worked last year through the Tommy John surgery, that he's going to be an animal and get after it," Cash said. "And do everything. I think he's ahead of schedule. We're optimistic some time in late May we might be seeing him on a big league mound."