PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy played five innings in a minor league game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
Murphy, who has yet to appear in a regular spring game because of a strained right intercostal muscle, played in the field and appeared once as a pinch runner. He didn't bat during the game because he took live batting practice earlier in the day.
"It felt good," Murphy said. "It was good to get out there. I really appreciate the minor league guys, the coaching staff letting me come out there. It took a little while to get my legs underneath me, but I felt better at the end than I did at the beginning. We'll see how it feels tomorrow and evaluate it going forward."
Murphy expects to play in another minor league game Saturday and hopes to make his regular debut "sooner rather than later."
