Headley's knee feels good after initial workouts

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Third baseman Chase Headley put his surgically repaired left knee to work Wednesday and Thursday as Padres position players joined pitchers and catchers for the first two full-squad workouts of Spring Training.

Headley, who had arthroscopic surgery on the knee after last season, said his knee felt better almost immediately following the procedure and he was able to conduct his winter workouts on time and without restriction.

"Right now, it feels great," Headley said. "I think anytime that you have a surgery, you will have some soreness, but for the most part, it feels great and much better than it has in a year at least."

A switch-hitter, Headley said he would occasionally feel soreness in the knee last season when he was hitting from the left side.

"But it wasn't like it was part of the problem," he said.

A year after leading the league in RBIs in 2012, Headley fractured the tip of his left thumb in March last year, causing him to miss the first 14 games of the season. He also dealt with a stiff back and the pain in his left knee that flared up on occasion.

Headley said he felt the worst in terms of his knee in September, which was actually his best month of the season, hitting .305 with five home runs and 14 RBIs.

"It was just a little cranky some days, and some days it didn't feel too bad. There wasn't one move that necessarily made it worse. It was a matter of dealing with it," he said.

Headley is prepared for days this spring and during the regular season where he'll encounter some level of stiffness in the knee, but he's been told that's perfectly normal after surgery.

"Most guys who have this surgery will tell you for a year, you'll have days where you're stiff and sore, but once you get up and get moving, it gets better," Headley said. "I really haven't had any issues. I was able to do everything I wanted to do in the offseason."

Will Venable, Yonder Alonso, Chase Headley and Seth Smith take their first BP swings of the season. #PadresST https://t.co/yE754gvfVW

- San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 19, 2014