Interim manager Ron Roenicke said Tuesday that Verdugo (back/oblique) is "coming along well" in the rehab process and could be ready to play in Grapefruit League games by mid-March, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

The skipper noted that Verdugo still hasn't swung a bat this spring, so he'll have to clear that hurdle -- among several others in his rehab from a stress fracture in his back and a strained oblique -- before his availability for game action can be considered imminent. Roenicke's comments at least suggest that Verdugo hasn't been ruled out for Opening Day, though at this stage, the outfielder seems more likely to begin the campaign on the 10-day injured list.