Originally Posted by MLB.com

JUPITER, Fla. -- Coming out of Spring Training a year ago, Sergio Mitre had emerged as the Marlins' No. 2 starter behind Dontrelle Willis.

The right-hander pitched the second game of the season and came up on the winning end against Andy Pettitte and the Astros. That day, Mitre tossed six scoreless innings.

From that point, Mitre's 2006 spiraled downhill, largely because of a shoulder problem that landed him on the disabled list almost the entire season. He finished 1-5 with a 5.71 ERA, appearing in 15 games with seven starts.

"Last year was my first big opportunity and I went down," Mitre lamented.

Obtained from the Cubs as part of the Juan Pierre trade, Mitre was looking to seize his chance in Florida. While with the Cubs, he would bounce back and forth from the Minor Leagues to the big leagues. Sometimes he was used out of the bullpen, while other times he started.

Now, Mitre's shoulder is healthy, but he remains a little bit behind the other pitchers in Spring Training. He started throwing off the mound in January, so he's not as stretched out as other pitchers in camp.

"He's throwing [bullpen sessions]," manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

In the new few days, Mitre will throw live batting practice and a simulated game. He should start being filtered into the mix of pitchers seeing action in Grapefruit League games in about a week.

The main thing is he's healthy, and if he keeps progressing, he could factor into the mix to be in the opening rotation, should righty Josh Johnson not be ready.

Mitre, Yusmeiro Petit, Jose Garcia, Wes Obermueller and Chris George are leading candidates to be spot starters.

"It's frustrating to me just because I've shown glimpses of what I am capable of doing," Mitre said. "[Last year] was my first true chance of getting up and doing something. It was going to be my ball and everything, and then I went down. Before with the Cubs, I'd get the ball and go back to Triple-A and then get called up."

Now, his shoulder feels strong. It's just a matter of working up his arm strength and refining his mechanics.

"My shoulder feels great," he said. "I'm in good health right now. I've been throwing the ball real well.

"Yeah, I'm anxious, but at the same time I've got to be careful. I can't rush back too soon. Spring Training is very important, but at the same time you don't want to rush back and get hurt in spring. It's kind of hard when you missed almost the whole season."