Hardy (back) fielded ground balls and hit on the field Friday, saying his back felt great, and he could play a spring game in the next few days, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The shortstop has performed limited work this spring but looks ready to make an appearance with a few weeks left before the regular season starts. If he makes it through without issues, he'll again assume his AL-only value as a playing-time-fueled yet injury-prone starting option.