Fowler, who is competing with Boog Powell for the starting center field job, has felt increasingly comfortable during the latter half of spring following a slow start due to June 2017 knee surgery, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports. "Obviously the results haven't really come at the plate, but I'm starting to feel everything I wanted to feel," said Fowler. "Timing is getting there, and I'm starting to have competitive at-bats. I'm not really where I want to be, but I'm season-ready right now. I think I'm not going to be overmatched or anything like that."

EDGE Analysis

Fowler has been setback-free with the knee this spring, allowing him to focus solely on getting his performance back up to its previous levels. The 23-year-old does concede that his swing still remains behind where he wants it to be, primarily because he had to start at "square one" due to not picking up a bat for such an extended period. Fowler logged some extra minor-league at-bats earlier in March to work through some bad habits, and the fact he was recently cleared to play in back-to-back games has also helped him up his reps as the regular season approaches. "At the time, you don't feel like you're getting much out of those Minor League at-bats," he said, "but right now, I'm thankful I got them. I know we have just a little bit of time left to be able find them things, but right now I think I'm ready, and hopefully they give me the shot to see what I can do over there."