(Courtesy of The Sports Xchange)  Mark Prior met with Cubs doctors and received the green light to do some light throwing Monday, and he threw 30 times on flat ground from 60 to 70 feet.

Prior, who was shut down after feeling pain in his right shoulder region after a March 12 bullpen session, will try to throw again Tuesday, and the Cubs will bring him along slowly even though they can't predict when he will head to the mound again.

"I don't think I'm back to square one again, but I'm not sure if I'm on square two or three," Prior said.

Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild said the team plans to leave Prior in Arizona when it breaks camp. The Cubs open the season by playing their first 11 games in cold-weather cities, and the Cubs are not sure he would get consistent work if he came up north.

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NOTES

 --1B Derrek Lee returned to the lineup Monday after missing three days to be with his ailing grandfather, and he went 0-for-3 against the White Sox. He is hoping to receive as many at-bats as he can in the final week of spring training. The Cubs may send him to play in a minor league game, where he can pick up eight or nine at-bats in a game.

--RHP Scott Williamson, who tweaked his back in Sunday's game against Arizona and left after three pitches, said Monday that he is all right and would have stayed in the game if it were in the regular season. He did light throwing Monday.

--RHP Roberto Novoa, who has been sidelined with a lung infection known as Valley Fever, is scheduled to get back into Cactus League action either Tuesday or Wednesday. While Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Novoa is in the mix for one of the final two bullpen spots, it's likely he would need a couple of more weeks to build up his strength and durability.

--2B Jerry Hairston Jr. is the favorite to claim the second base job over Todd Walker and Neifi Perez, but manager Dusty Baker said he could use all three during the season, depending on matchups.

--OF Marquis Grissom, a non-roster veteran who is fighting for one of the last position spots on the roster, went 0-for-3 Monday, dropping his average to .200. "These are important days for him at this point in his career," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "We'll try to give him as much playing time as possible without slighting anybody else."

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