FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Brian Roberts took a powerful swing, and the ball dribbled down the third-base line.
"Woo!" shouted teammate Jeff Conine, quite sarcastically.
The results may not have been pretty, but the event was noteworthy: For the first time since undergoing elbow surgery 5 1/2 months ago, Roberts batted against a pitcher Wednesday, a key development in his quest to start at second base for the Baltimore Orioles on opening day.
Roberts was in the midst of his finest season as a professional before a Sept. 20 collision at first base with the New York Yankees' Bubba Crosby resulted in a dislocated elbow, a torn tendon and torn ligament.
Roberts has been working to return for the April 3 opener against Tampa Bay, and although he remains uncertain if he will realize that goal, he derived a strong sense of accomplishment from his session in the batting cage on a back field at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.
Prior to taking his swings against batting practice pitcher Orlando Gomez, Roberts had done little more with the bat this spring than take swipes at soft tosses and short throws from batting coach Terry Crowley.
So when he walked to the plate Wednesday, he wasn't sure what to expect.
"Obviously the first thing you think about it is: What's this first swing going to feel like? And I took that first swing, and I was amazed how well it did feel," Roberts said.
The weak grounder drew a snide cheer from Conine, but Roberts followed with a sharp liner to right.
"I was a lot more comfortable than I thought I was going to be, to tell you the truth," he said. "But when you're hitting balls not on the barrel, you're like, `Man, I don't have it yet.' The elbow doesn't hurt, but I realize I still have a little bit of work to do."
Alternating with Conine and Kevin Millar for a half hour, Roberts batted from both sides of the plate. He mixed solid line drives with a few tepid grounders, some popups and one ugly foul that nearly hit someone on the adjacent field.
He also hit a shot over the left-field wall, a reminder of the power he displayed while slamming a career-high 18 homers in 2005. But even if Roberts didn't get one out of the infield Wednesday, no one - except perhaps the sharp-tongued Conine - would have said a thing.
"He definitely wasn't trying to hit the ball over the fence," said Crowley, who intently watched every swing. "This was about getting your balance, your bearings, hitting with the wind blowing. I thought he had a very good day on the rehab trail."
It was well-deserved, considering the work Roberts has done since the injury. Upon reporting to spring training, instead of getting ready to play in games, he was forced to participate in tedious drills designed to build strength in his elbow.
"It's been hard at times, but when I got here and got on the field, it was actually a boost," he said. "Even though I wasn't able to play in games, just getting away from physical therapy was enough to get me going."
But his upbeat attitude took a serious hit Tuesday, when he watched the United States team face Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Were it not for the injury, Roberts would have almost certainly been playing second base instead of Chase Utley.
"Knowing that I had a shot to play for the USA team, then watching them play, that bummed me out as much as anything," he said. "They looked like they were having a lot of fun, and it looked like a great atmosphere to play in. Spring training is spring training. I'm ready to play for something."
If all goes as planned, that time will come on opening day.
"That is my goal. Whether it's going to happen, I don't know. I can't tell you what I'll wake up feeling like tomorrow, much less what I'll feel like in three weeks or four weeks, or if I'm going to be ready to hit a 95 mph fastball in the ninth inning when I need to," he said. "Those are things I can't answer yet. If things go smoothly, yes, I think I'll be ready."
Roberts is eager to build on a season in which he set career highs in batting average (.314), homers and RBIss (73). But he's also prepared for the possibility of being forced to wait.
"If it takes getting 20 at-bats in Frederick or whatever, so be it. If you miss eight days, in the long run it's not the end of the world," he said. "But my main goal is to be with my teammates opening day. I feel like I've been through a lot with this injury, and I think it would help me a lot to be there."