Last we heard, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was making solid progress in his recovery from left knee surgery, but it’s still unclear when he’ll be ready for game action.
Per Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Machado has resumed taking batting practice and fielding ground balls, but he isn’t running full speed and he’s restricted from doing certain drills. The 21-year-old hopes to be cleared for full baseball activities when he has a check-up with his surgeon in mid-March, but that obviously leaves little time to test himself in game action before Opening Day. However, rushing things just to be ready for the start of the season doesn’t rank high on Machado’s priority list.“Last,” he said. “That’s at the bottom of my list. It’s not even on my list, to be honest.”
“When I’m ready, I’m going to be ready,” Machado said. “And everybody’s going to know it. And that’s when I’m going to be out there with the team, whether it’s Opening Day or sometime in April.”
Machado hit .283/.314/.432 with 14 home runs and 71 RBI over 156 games last season prior to tearing the medial patellofemoral ligament in his knee.