CLEARWATER, Florida - Brett Cecil is being treated for inflammation in his left shoulder and won't pick up a baseball until Tuesday at the earliest.

"I brought it forward to just go get a precautionary MRI so we could make sure everybody was on the same page, make sure we were treating the right thing and not beating a dead horse so we can get it out of the way as soon as possible, whatever needs to be done," said Cecil. "Everything was normal."

The flare up is in the supraspinatus muscle, one of the four muscles which comprise the rotator cuff.

It's been a trying start to the spring for the Maryland native, who arrived in camp and quickly came down with the flu. He recovered from the illness in time to throw his first bullpen on Wednesday, February 25. Having spent the offseason at home, Cecil may have been too amped up to throw in the Florida heat.

"I was obviously excited about getting down here," said Cecil. "I got all my throwing in (during the offseason). I mean even throwing outside in 35-40 (Fahrenheit) degree weather I had no problems, I felt great when I was throwing up there. I came down here a week before, threw that 'pen and everything felt great, felt normal but I just think I got after it a little bit too hard that time when I came back (from the flu)."

Cecil is a candidate for the closer's role, although manager John Gibbons has hinted he may go with a Cecil-Aaron Sanchez duo, selecting his pitcher based on matchups or recent usage.

Sanchez still is being stretched out, among those being considered for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, but if uncertainty persists surrounding Cecil the Sanchez decision becomes easier.

"It puts a little more focus down there," said Gibbons. "Like I've said, (Aaron Sanchez), we don't know where he's going to end up. We're in a good spot either way I think."

The 28-year-old acknowledged he's continually learning about the extent to which he can put strain on his body. Cecil got off to a strong start and made the American League All-Star team in 2013, his first big league season as a reliever, but slowed in the second half as he dealt with elbow problems.

He made adjustments to his regimen last year and made it through the season without any arm problems, although he did spend a stint on the disabled list with a strained groin.

Unusual arm pain raises red flags for a pitcher but Cecil feels he dodged a potential bullet. He won't pitch in a Grapefruit League game until late next week or next weekend at the earliest. He doesn't expect the sudden change of schedule to affect his ability to be ready to start the season.

"I just talked to (pitching coach) Pete (Walker) and he said he figured it would be adequate if I got six outings in spring training and that wasn't even including the two games up in Montreal," said Cecil. "That's what we're shooting for and I think he's right, I think that's adequate enough."

Cecil started a "dose pack," verbiage used to describe anti-inflammatory medication, on Friday.

"I can already feel it starting to get better," said Cecil.

THE BENCH

A backup catcher and Danny Valencia are locks for two spots on the bench. Assuming a seven-man bullpen, there are two more jobs up for grabs. One of them will go to an outfielder, which makes the final selection particularly intriguing.

Justin Smoak and Daric Barton are possibilities at first base. Dayan Viciedo, not known for his defence but who provides positional versatility, is a consideration. The Jays could go with a platoon at second base, which means someone like Maicer Izturis, Ramon Santiago or Munenori Kawasaki could win a job.

"They're all battling out there," said manager John Gibbons. "We've got a kid, Devon Travis, who's playing today who hasn't got a hit yet but everybody who knows him in baseball says the kid can really hit. But I've been impressed with his defence. I think he's played great defence. A lot of times what happens is guys who aren't hitting, when they're known as hitters they're defence suffers but it's been just the opposite with him."

Izturis and Santiago, both veterans, have each made nice defensive plays to their right. Izturis is coming off surgery to repair a torn lateral collateral ligament in his left knee.

"I think he's moving better, as good as we've seen him," said Gibbons. "You never know for sure. He's getting older and he missed the whole year but I think he looks in better shape, he looks stronger to me."

Barton is a glove-first, walk machine whose ability to get on-base could be a boon to the bottom of the order.

"We think there's more in his bat than he's had the last couple of years," said Gibbons. "When he first came up he was the poster boy in baseball for the on-base thing, that's how he made his mark. Defence is huge, a lot of times it gets overlooked in this game and you save a lot of runs over there."

WINNERS

Manager John Gibbons likes the playoff experience Josh Donaldson (Athletics) and Russell Martin (Dodgers/Yankees/Pirates) bring to his team.

"You look at the last couple of years, we were picked be all-world the last two years and then nothing happened," said Gibbons. "Not that the reason was because we didn't have any guys necessarily … but that helps, at nut-cutting time you can lean on them a little bit. They've been through it. When it comes down to it, the more winners you have the better off you're going to be."