Dan Uggla claims he is close to ready.

Dan Uggla was encouraged Tuesday after taking part in sprinting, hitting and fielding drills that tested his sprained left ankle. He thought the chances were strong he could pinch hit by Wednesday and return to the starting lineup during the upcoming series in Los Angeles.

''It's to the point where I can tolerate the pain now,'' Uggla said. ``It feels strong. I feel I've turned the corner on it and it's really any day now.''

Let's face it, you could shoot Danny in the thigh with a nail gun and he would claim it didn't hurt.

There is something about: 'It's to the point were I can tolerate the pain now' that doesn't speak volumes to me about him being healed and back to his old self.

Like all Marlins fans, I want Danny back as soon as possible.  But what I don't want is for his ankle sprain to be a nagging concern for the rest of the season.  Especially if extending his time on the bench and in rehab will allow him to rejoin the club as good as new, but just a week or two later.