Rays' Matt Duffy: Feels good after first batting practice session

Duffy (heel) tracked live pitching again during Tuesday's batting practice session and has also started taking ground balls, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. "He looked really good," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I would say from a visual standpoint, just from watching him, today was his best day. He was out here early for early ground balls and was out on the field quite a bit today, so that's obviously a good sign that he's feeling good and we are getting him out on the field more."

Analysis:

Duffy is scheduled to take swings Wednesday as the next step in his preparation for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, the Rays shortstop's work in the field is currently "stationary round work", as he has not yet progressed to chasing down balls. While he's conceded he'd like to be further long, Duffy's recovery from September heel surgery remains setback-free, which naturally takes precedence at this point in time.