JUPITER, Fla. -- The return of Marlins left-hander Jeff Locke will take some time. Manager Don Mattingly indicated that there is no real timeline for his return, but it appears Locke will be sidelined through April.
The news is a little brighter for catcher A.J. Ellis (hamstring), who played three innings on Friday and will play five innings in a Minor League game on Sunday. Mattingly said the plan is for Ellis to play in a split-squad game on Tuesday.
Locke, who is battling biceps tendinitis, recently threw a 15-pitch bullpen session and will throw another one in a couple of days.
"Everything is progressing still," Mattingly said. "And that's our main thing with him, start building him up. Now to get on the mound tells you he's feeling pretty good."
The next step, according to Mattingly, is for Locke to get in his bullpen sessions and move on to rehab games.
"If he can continue to progress through that, then he'll be ready to go," Mattingly said.