FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins left fielder Eddie Rosario, who has been out since March 4 with right triceps tendinitis, began his throwing program on Wednesday, and he is slated to return to the lineup as a designated hitter against the Rays on Thursday.
Rosario was shut down from throwing after feeling soreness in his upper arm while playing left field on March 4. But with rest, the inflammation has subsided, and Rosario threw 20 sets from 60 feet before Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, but there's still no exact timetable for when he'll return to the outfield.
"I feel very good," Rosario said. "I threw from 60 feet with no pain. Everything was good."
The injury isn't considered serious and Rosario said he expects to be ready for Opening Day on March 29 against the Orioles. Rosario, 26, was 3-for-13 with a homer before suffering the injury and said the key will be regaining his timing over the next two weeks. He'll get his first chances to do that as DH on Thursday and Friday.
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"I'll be ready for Opening Day," Rosario said. "I need to work on my approach and my timing. I need to swing at strikes."
Camp battles
• Outfielder Robbie Grossman, competing with Zack Granite for the fourth outfielder role, continues to heat up offensively and tripled into the right-center-field gap off Red Sox ace Chris Sale in the second inning.
• Right-hander Alan Busenitz, who is competing for a spot in the bullpen, threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to lower his ERA to 5.14 this spring. He has an outside shot at cracking the bullpen despite some scuffles this spring, as he was solid as a rookie last season, posting a 1.99 ERA in 31 2/3 innings.
Injury updates
• Right-hander Michael Pineda continues to rehab after undergoing Tommy John surgery last July and is now throwing long toss from 90 feet. Pineda remains on track to possibly return for the last month of the season and could come back in relief to speed up the process.
• Right-hander Trevor May is further along in his rehab from Tommy John surgery last March, as he began mixing in curveballs and sliders into his bullpen sessions this week. May, who is on the 60-day disabled list, is eligible to return in late May.