PHILADELPHIA -- Marlins first baseman Justin Bour, who has been sidelined since July 25 with a strained right oblique, began baseball activities Tuesday.
"Basically starting to play catch today and dry swings, so we're a little ways away from him getting going and ramping things up," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
Rehabbing this late in the season can evoke logistical problems. When Bour is ready to begin a rehab assignment, his options will be limited, as Minor League seasons may have concluded.
"We'd like to get him back," Mattingly said. "It's hard to know how effective he'd be when he hasn't played in so long. ... It's hard to get at-bats and find timing."
Can Miami count on Bour's return this season?
"I think it's realistic," Mattingly said. "How to get him ready and how to use him at that point is going to be a little tricky."