Jonathon Long Injury: Nearing return to baseball work

Long has been diagnosed with a bruise and cleared of any structural issues with his left elbow, putting him on track to potentially return to baseball activities by the end of the week, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

The 24-year-old was unable to join Team Chinese Taipei for the World Baseball Classic due to the injury, but he's now progressing toward game action. If he can avoid any setbacks, Long could be ready to join Triple-A Iowa for the start of the minor-league season.