Guardians' Steven Kwan takes batting practice, making progress in recovery from hamstring injury

CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians leadoff hitter and left fielder Steven Kwan took batting practice on Friday for the first time since hurting his left hamstring and going on the injured list.

Kwan was leading the AL in hitting when he was pulled from a May 4 game with tightness in his hamstring. He got hurt while chasing after a fly ball down the left-field line.

The two-time Gold Glove winner was placed on the 15-day IL on May 6, and the team said at the time it would be at least four weeks before he returned to the lineup.

“He’s progressing well,” manager Stephen Vogt said before Friday's series opener against Minnesota. "Still don’t have a timetable, but the fact that he’s already back to baseball activity is a good sign. He’s feeling well and been running relatively pain-free, so he’s on a good track'

The Guardians have managed to stay atop the AL Central without Kwan, who was batting .353 with 47 hits, three homers and 11 RBIs before he got hurt.

Kwan dealt with hamstring injuries while at Oregon State.

The 26-year-old Kwan has become one of the league's best top-of-the-order hitters in just over two seasons. He batted .298 as a rookie and .268 last season while playing 158 games.

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Tom Withers, The Associated Press