JUPITER, Fla. -- Ichiro Suzuki is making strides to getting back onto the field, but the Marlins are taking a more cautious approach with Jeff Locke, who is dealing with left biceps tendinitis.
Ichiro did some light throwing and did some hitting in the cage on Friday, as he works his way back from a bruised right quadriceps and sore back. Locke, who experienced some discomfort while playing catch on Thursday, had an MRI later that night, and is on no-throw status.
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"We're not expecting anything bad," manager Don Mattingly said of Locke. "Obviously, we'll let the doctor tell us that. Again, he was better than when he was earlier. He was still feeling something, and we wanted that to go away."
Ichiro was shaken up after colliding with Brandon Barnes in an outfield drill on Tuesday, and he's been receiving treatment the past few days.
"He's progressing and getting better," Mattingly said. "We like where he's at. I wouldn't say we're out of the woods, because you have to get out here and do some things. But we're moving in the right direction."
The Marlins remain confident that the inflammation Locke is dealing with isn't serious. But they are being overly cautious.
"When he got out there, he was still feeling something," Mattingly said. "Again, better, but not where we wanted. We're going to wait until he's 100 percent. We have plenty of time. Right now, he will be on a slower process."
Worth noting
• President of baseball operations Michael Hill is confident the Marlins have a roster that can contend for a playoff spot. But he noted, the club is monitoring the market for potential pitching depth. Free agents like Doug Fister are still available. But if the club signs anyone before Opening Day, it likely will be as a non-roster invitee.
"We think we have what we need in this camp to bring a championship to South Florida," Hill said. "We always are monitoring the market, in case of injury, or if something comes up. I don't think that's anything out of the ordinary. We're still monitoring what is out there, just in case."