Jake Cronenworth Injury: Aiming to beat return timeframe

Cronenworth (ribs) took groundballs, worked on change of direction, played catch and took dry swings Friday, and he's optimistic that he can return ahead of his initial 4-to-6 week return timeframe, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Cronenworth landed on the IL on April 11 due to a non-displaced right rib fracture. Though such an injury typically takes 4-to-6 weeks to heal, it's possible that the veteran infielder could return before the fracture totally heals, and Padres manager Mike Shildt suggested Friday that such a scenario would be dependent on Cronenworth's pain tolerance. While he hopes to be back in the Padres' lineup in less than four weeks, Cronenworth also noted that there is uncertainty about his ability to do so, explaining, "It's hard to say, because it's like, I don't know what's gonna have an adverse reaction yet ... we're kind of going until that happens. ... It's like, let's just keep progressing as we're progressing, and see where it ends."