ANAHEIM -- Mitch Garver is out of his protective boot, taking light swings off a tee and doing some light jogging in Minneapolis as he continues an encouraging road to recovery from a left high ankle sprain that he sustained in a home-plate collision last Tuesday, according to chief baseball officer Derek Falvey.

Garver will continue to do light work until he is examined again when the Twins return to Minneapolis following the conclusion of their current West Coast road trip. Falvey said that if Garver continues to respond well, he will progress to more aggressive running before the Twins think about plans for a rehab assignment, but no timeline has been established yet.

"A high ankle sprain, there’s a range of outcomes on that," Falvey said. "Some are much more severe. We’re hoping that his is on the milder end and so far, so good. He said he felt great. He talked to a couple of our coaches today, and he talked to [head athletic trainer] Tony [Leo] today and felt pretty good."

The Twins appear to have avoided the worst with Garver, who was hitting .329/.418/.747 with nine homers and a 201 wRC+ in 25 games. He suffered the injury when the Angels' Shohei Ohtani slid into his left foot as Garver protected home plate.

"Hopefully, if he’s on the better end, then we’re talking the early side of the timetable," Falvey said.

Cruz to take swings in cage on Tuesday

Nelson Cruz took some light swings on Monday and was expected to swing in the cages on Tuesday as he continues to work his way back from a left wrist strain that did not show any significant issues on the initial MRIs, but has lingered enough to warrant a stint on the 10-day injured list.

Cruz is eligible to come off the injured list on Friday, and though Falvey did not commit to a Friday return for the 38-year-old slugger, both he and manager Rocco Baldelli expected Cruz's return to occur "soon after" Friday at the latest.

Cruz has not appeared in a game since May 12, when he left the Twins' loss to the Tigers after feeling wrist pain following a swinging strike.

"I think the key was, coming out of Seattle, he was still sore," Falvey said. "Our view of it was, 'Let’s not try and chase this. Let’s give him a few days where he’s not swinging, and let this completely calm down.'"

Other quick injury notes

• Marwin Gonzalez has been "a little bit banged up" and sat out the Twins' last two games, but he returned to the lineup and went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in Tuesday’s 8-3 win over the Angels.

• Adalberto Mejia, who is sidelined with a right calf strain, threw off a mound for the first time at the Twins' facility in Fort Myers, Fla., according to Falvey. He will begin to work with Minor League coaches and coordinators on a pitching plan developed by pitching coach Wes Johnson and assistant pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

• Shortstop Wander Javier, the Twins' No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has been sidelined by a right quad strain that he sustained on March 15 during Spring Training, but he should be cleared to play in games "pretty soon" once he's comfortable at full speed, according to Falvey. Javier has been working in extended spring camp in Fort Myers.

Reed to be granted release

Addison Reed has been placed on unconditional release waivers and will be granted his release from the Twins once he clears. Falvey said that he talked to Reed and his agent about the move on Tuesday.

Reed had been designated for assignment on Thursday after allowing eight runs, including four homers, in five rehab games with Triple-A Rochester. He had not appeared with the Twins in 2019 after dealing with a left thumb sprain sustained in Spring Training.

When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.