Julio Rodríguez - Ramps up activity level Rodriguez (ankle) ran in the outfield and on the bases before Thursday's game against the Tigers, but he remains without a timetable for return, MLB.com reports. Impact Rodriguez also resumed swinging a bat earlier in the week and has now participated in running exercises for consecutive days. Despite the outfielder's encouraging and seemingly setback-free increase in activity over the last several days, manager Scott Servais remains firmly non-committal about a likely return timeframe for Rodriguez. Servais did note that since swinging isn't really an issue for Rodriguez, he could initially be utilized as a designated hitter when activated from the IL in order to continue giving his injured ankle time to get back to full strength. A short rehab assignment is also a possibility, with a determination on that front to be made in the near future. "The longer it goes, it's a discussion we'll have to have, I think, any time a guy is out for more than two weeks," Servais said. "So we'll just have to wait and see when it gets closer, when he's able to return."
AUGUST 9 • ROTOWIRE
