Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that Walls (hip) felt good during his workouts Tuesday and the team is encouraged by the shortstop's progress, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
Walls hit the 10-day injured list Sept. 8 with a right hip flexor strain, but it sounds like he will not miss much more than the minimum, with Bass indicating Walls could return as soon as Thursday. Now 30, Walls is a .199/.290/.297 career hitter over parts of six MLB seasons. However, Tampa Bay values his defense, and that aspect of his game has kept Walls in a regular role throughout the season (109 starts).