masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgSARASOTA, Fla. – Catcher Taylor Teagarden will be eligible to come off the disabled list on April 10, but he conceded today that it’s a “best-case scenario” and he might need an extra week.

Teagarden said he no longer is experiencing the same level of discomfort in his lower back, but there’s a lingering sensation that a second epidural on Wednesday should alleviate.

“I want to come back feeling good,” he said. “I’m planning on my back feeling well in the next couple of weeks and the…SARASOTA, Fla. – Catcher Taylor Teagarden will be eligible to come off the disabled list on April 10, but he conceded today that it’s a “best-case scenario” and he might need an extra week.

Teagarden said he no longer is experiencing the same level of discomfort in his lower back, but there’s a lingering sensation that a second epidural on Wednesday should alleviate.

“I want to come back feeling good,” he said. “I’m planning on my back feeling well in the next couple of weeks and the activities really going to pick up after this second shot. I just want to make sure I’m feeling comfortable going back into games. And I think I will be.

“April 10 might be best-case scenario. If it’s a week after that, I’ll be real happy with that. The way things are going and the strength in my back and the way it’s feeling, and they’re telling me I’m going to start doing a lot more dry-land activity and get out of the pool, two to three weeks is very reasonable.”

Teagarden, who hasn’t played since March 6, has been doing some light throwing along with receiving treatment on his back and exercising in the pool. He might be cleared to jog and hit off a tee this weekend. After that, he’ll start catching bullpens “and get my legs back in shape,” he said.

“My strength is coming back. I’m doing these core stability exercises and I’m showing a lot of progress. The pain isn’t coming back. There’s just a little bit of lingering pain, but it’s not getting worse. And this next shot should really help me out a lot and get me closer to feeling 100 percent.

“It’s discomfort. They’d get concerned if there was sharp pain, and I don’t have any sharp pain. I just have discomfort. Every now and again, it will just kind of grab and it will let me know that it’s still here. It’s not anything that’s anything close to what it was on the actual day that I injured it.

“Hopefully, I can put this behind me. If anything, I’m grateful that it didn’t happen in the middle of the year.”

Ronny Paulino, who missed half of camp because of his visa issues, will be the backup catcher. The Orioles have monitored the catching situations on other teams, but they don’t anticipate making a deal or signing a backup.