Updates on Uehara and Roberts

Koji Uehara will throw 25 pitches off a mound today unless his allergies act up again. Seriously, though, he's finally got a bullpen session scheduled in Sarasota after being restricted to throwing off flat ground. He's eligible to come off the disabled list today, but it won't happen anytime soon. He hasn't faced batters in a long time. Brian Roberts will be reexamined today, and it's possible that the club will place him on the disabled list after today's game. Manager Dave Trembley and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail will make the decision after consulting with the physician. Trembley can do without Roberts for a few more days, but he doesn't want to play shorthanded beyond that timeframe. Roberts told me a few minutes ago that his strained abdominal muscle feels about the same as yesterday. No signficant improvement. Garrett Atkins is out of the lineup today because he took a ball off his shin last night that left a knot "the size of a football," according to Trembley. Would Trembley use Atkins late in the game if needed? "I'd use my mother late if I had to," he said. That would be a "yes." Trembley won't use Mike Gonzalez in a save situation today. "I think we've still got some things to do with him in the bullpen," Trembley said.