Rosenthal feeling good, but Cards still cautious

JUPITER, Fla. -- A day after alerting the medical staff to tightness in his right groin, Trevor Rosenthal participated in a modified workout plan on Wednesday. Manager Mike Matheny reported that Rosenthal "feels pretty good today," but the Cardinals will nevertheless be cautious with his schedule for at least a few more days.

With Opening Day more than a month away, Rosenthal has plenty of time to get his arm conditioned for the regular season. He has already thrown six times (including live batting practice twice) since the start of camp. With Rosenthal already having been designated as the Cardinals' closer, he does not need to log many innings in Grapefruit League play as he did when starting was still a possibility.

Rosenthal suffered the groin strain on Tuesday, near the end of throwing live batting practice. Immediately after feeling the discomfort, Rosenthal called over a trainer and cut his session short.

"He always gives that strong statement that if it was the season, I'd be pitching right now," Matheny said. "It was a great display of his maturity when he shut it down. It was a great call on his part to be very cautious, especially since we're 30 days away or so from playing."