Phillies' Johan Rojas: Expected to throw to bases soon

Manager Rob Thomson remains confident that Rojas (shoulder) will be ready to play in the outfield by the time the regular season begins, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Rojas threw from 150 feet Thursday and is expected to throw to bases over the weekend. The defensive-minded outfielder would be more likely to make the Opening Day roster as a bench player if fully healthy, but his shoulder injury has rendered Rojas a strict designated hitter this spring and could leave him in jeopardy of not making the team. Despite batting just .241 this spring and going 0-for-4 during Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Rojas has a .333 on-base percentage to go with two home runs and seven RBI across 29 at-bats as he tries to keep pace with strong springs by Christian Arroyo, Kody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy.