from Yankees.com

TAMPA -- Joe Torre may not be counting on having Bernie Williams in the lineup on Opening Day, but the center fielder isn't ruling out the possibility.

Williams, who underwent an emergency appendectomy on Feb. 26, met with doctors on Wednesday at Legends Field. On Monday, Williams will begin what he called "mild stuff," including throwing or light jogging, and he may progress to hitting by next Thursday.

"Everything is all right," said Williams, who has lost eight pounds since the surgery. "It's as good as it can be after the time that has passed since surgery."

Williams visited Japan in 2002 as part of the All-Star Series, and the 35-year-old veteran would like to make a return trip later this month when the Yankees open the season in Tokyo against Tampa Bay.

"It's something that would be worth experiencing again," he said. "I really liked it there, so if I can go, I'd like to."

With that opening series less than four weeks away, Williams believes that he has enough time left in the spring to be ready for Opening Day, though he admits that it will depend on his progress over the next 10-14 days.

"I don't know about Japan. It will depend on the next couple of weeks," Williams said. "I feel good right now, so if I don't have any setbacks, I'll resume normal activities.

"It might take some time to get back into a daily rhythm, but the good thing is that it's still early in the spring," he added. "If it were halfway through or a week before the season, it would have been different. Now, I can go through my rehab and play normally before the season starts."

Torre, who said late last week that he wouldn't anticipate having Williams in Tokyo, said that he would be thrilled to see him in the Opening Day lineup. But the manager stressed that he is not putting any pressure on Williams to be ready for the two-game series against the Devil Rays.

"When I say I don't think he'll be ready for Opening Day, it's to let him get ready at his own pace. If he's ready for Opening Day, that's a plus for us," Torre said. "But I don't want him thinking that I'm anticipating his being ready so that he fights through something he shouldn't fight through. I don't want him to run up against a deadline that could be detrimental to his conditioning."

After complaining of stomach pains last week, Williams was taken to a local hospital on Thursday to get checked out. When he learned that he would have to have his appendix removed, it was actually a sense of relief.

"I thought it was some bad indigestion, maybe something I had eaten the night before," Williams said. "When your stomach hurts like that, the last thing you think is a bad appendix. I didn't have any idea of the severity of the situation until I got there. I was relieved that it was something that they could pinpoint. They took it out and that's the end of it."

If Williams is not ready for the opener, Kenny Lofton would start in center, with Travis Lee likely taking Williams' spot in the lineup. Williams and Lofton will likely spend much of the season splitting time in center and as the team's DH.

Torre, who has managed Williams since 1996, isn't worried about the outfielder rushing back to play in the opener.

"We have to be sure that he can do everything," Torre said. "Bernie will tell us. I don't think Opening Day is something he'll make a precedent over doing what the right thing is. He's pretty honest."

In a typical spring, a position player gets between 50 and 60 at-bats, a number Williams will not reach if he is to play in Japan. He said that he doesn't need that many at-bats, as he has been hitting throughout the winter.

"I can't tell right now. I've been hitting and throwing through the whole offseason, so I'm assuming that it will take less than in years before," Williams said. "It's very frustrating, but it's something I have no control over. I'm in good enough shape that I should bounce back quick, so if I don't have any setbacks, I should be able to play in no time."