Iwamura is on track to return

Nearly three months have passed since Akinori Iwamura last played in a game, his season interrupted by the crushing blow he took that Sunday in Miami in late May.

This weekend, though, Iwamura will be back on the field playing real baseball, not just the drills that have occupied his time and energy the past several weeks. Iwamura is slated to join Triple-A Durham on Friday for a rehab assignment that should last about two weeks, putting him on target to return when rosters expand Sept. 1.

"I ran today, and I hit today and it was pain-free, so I should be able to play and I should be back at game speed pretty soon," Iwamura said Tuesday through his interpreter, Tateki Uchibori.

The plan is for Iwamura to alternate between starts at second base and DH initially. He'll be with the Bulls for a seven-game homestand and join them on a road trip to Syracuse, N.Y., and Norfolk, Va., that ends Aug. 28. Assuming there are no setbacks along the way, that would give Iwamura time to get back to St. Petersburg and be evaluated by the medical staff before a series against the Red Sox begins Sept. 1.

"When we get to that point we feel as though we'll have a pretty good idea where we're at," said Manager Joe Maddon.

Iwamura said he'd like to return at the end of August, but that doesn't appear likely to happen (barring an injury to another infielder in the interim) simply because of roster management. The Rays will have to clear a spot to get him back on the 40-man roster from the 60-day disabled list, but once that is accomplished he wouldn't be displacing anyone from the active roster.

As for how much he'll play when he returns, that remains to be seen. His injury opened the door for Ben Zobrist to get regular starts and ultimately propelled the utility man to the All-Star Game. Zobrist will need to play somewhere, and Maddon has put Willy Aybar at second more often than not lately as a way to get him more regular at-bats.

Whatever happens, the Rays will find something for Iwamura to do, and he will be eager to help out.

"The main thing that I'm focusing on in those days that I'm not going to be with the team is to do what the team says and get as many at-bats as I can," Iwamura said. "My first concern is to get back with the team as soon as possible."

Farm facts

In only its second season of existence, the Rays' Venezuelan Summer League affiliate is on the verge of a championship after a come-from-behind win in an elimination game Tuesday.

The Rays defeated the VSL Pirates 8-7, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth after the Pirates had scored twice in the top of the inning to take the lead. Roan Salas' walk-off single brought in the winning run for the Rays.

The championship game in the best-of-three series is scheduled for this morning.

Odds and ends

With a quick turnaround today after Tuesday night's game, Maddon said B.J. Upton will get the day off and Dioner Navarro, Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler all will be in the lineup. ... In his near-miss of the cycle Monday night, Jason Bartlett nonetheless became the second Rays player to record a double, triple and homer in the same game. Eric Hinske did it last April 22 against the Blue Jays.

Marc Lancaster