Cubs manager Lou Piniella sounded upbeat after Ted Lilly threw on the backfields at HoHoKam Park early Saturday:
Lilly, who was 12-9 with a 3.10 ERA last season, is currently working his way back from offseason surgery on his left shoulder. He has quickly ramped up his rehab schedule after undergoing an MRI on his right knee and missing time with a virus early on in camp.
“We want to keep him under the radar gun and not talk much about it,” Piniella said of Lilly’s progress. “He’s coming along really well. He’s had no setbacks whatsoever. He’s actually ahead of schedule.
“We feel pretty good about the possibility of him pitching some Spring Training [games].”
The 34-year-old southpaw was originally expected to be ready in mid-April or early-May, but that timeline could obviously change depending on when he sees game action.
