Presley moves closer to rehab assignment

HOUSTON -- For the first time since he injured his oblique swinging the bat a month ago, outfielder Alex Presley took normal batting practice on the field prior to Saturday's game and appears close to beginning a rehab assignment.

"Things went fairly well today, so I'm encouraged," he said.

Presley said he felt a little soreness in the area of the strain, but chalked it up more to inactivity than any sort of setback. The biggest development for Presley was he was able to do his regular baseball drills without incident.

"It's just getting on the field and actually being in the stadium," he said. "You get a little more juiced when you're out in the field. Sometimes you may try to swing harder in certain situations and see what you can do. The intensity will be up, but so far it's pretty normal."

Presley said he hadn't been given any timetable, but it appears he could go on a Minor League rehab in the next couple of days.

"I'm looking forward to getting out there," he said. "It's been a while."

Presley had played his way into a starting role before he got injured swinging the bat June 7 in Arlington. He was hitting .342 with two homers and five RBIs in his 11 games prior to the injury.