Center fielder B.J. Upton, who is recovering from offseason surgery on his left shoulder, is expected to miss the first week of the season when the team visits the cold Northeast with early April stops in Boston and Baltimore.
"They said cold weather is probably going to be an issue with it, make it ache a little bit," Upton said. "So we're going to be careful with it and hopefully when they get back off the road, I can start up. ... There's really no rush to it. We just want to make sure I'm 100 percent before I get back on the field."
Upton played much of last season with a sore left shoulder -- he bats and throws right-handed -- that affected his offensive production. He batted .288 with seven homers and 16 RBIs for the AL champions during the postseason.
The 24-year-old hit .273 with just nine home runs in 531 at-bats during the regular season.
Overall, however, Upton said his shoulder is healing fine.
"[It's] coming along a lot faster than we thought it would," Upton said. "But at the same time, we can't rush it. Every time I come in, it feels better and better. So as long as we can keep doing what we're doing right now, it should be good."
The recently signed Gabe Kapler and rookie Fernando Perez are the most likely options to replace Upton in the lineup.
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