Manager Joe Maddon said Monday that it would be "hard to imagine" that Sandoval (illness) would be ready for Opening Day, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Sandoval was late to camp after testing positive for COVID-19, but he's since been able to begin throwing. Despite his presence with the team, he's slightly behind the other players and could need some extra time to build up strength. Maddon said Monday that the team would prefer to allow him to recover in a controlled environment rather than pitching out of the bullpen in game situations, so he could be held out of the start of the regular season. One or two of Matt Andriese, Felix Pena (knee) and Jaime Barria could open the year in the rotation if Sandoval is not ready.