MESA, Ariz. — Catcher Steve Clevenger is doing everything he can to grab the Cubs' final bench spot, hitting .381 with three games remaining in Cactus League play.

Manager Dale Sveum reiterated the Cubs could wait until Sunday to pick the two final spots — for the bench and bullpen — looking to see if a good fit is available when teams release players at the end of camps.

Clevenger's left-handed bat would be an asset, though he's not experienced at any other infield positions besides first base.

"Let's get one thing straight," Sveum said. "Barring any injury, he's not going to be playing (second or third) a whole lot. Maybe in certain circumstances — if we're down by four, five runs later, I can double-switch with him and if something doesn't go right, we're down four or five, or they might add on because of something.

"But he's capable of doing what he can. He's a very accurate thrower and very capable at first base. The other positions are going to be an emergency type of thing."

Baker update: Right-hander Scott Baker isn't supposed to start throwing for one month, which means he'll probably have to start his rehab all over again.

"Not necessarily," Baker insisted. "I don't know exactly, but I wouldn't foresee that."

Baker was projected to come back by late April before being shut down with a right elbow strain. The Cubs haven't said when he will return, though late June or early July may be optimistic at this point.

Does Baker think he'll be out the entire first half?

"I'm not thinking anything," he said. "I'm going to be a good patient and do as they tell me. If they tell me it's midseason, it's midseason. If they tell me it's earlier, it's earlier. I just told them 'I want to feel good and I want to pitch. Let's just do whatever we've got to do to make that happen.'"

Running bases: After emphasizing aggressive baserunning last spring, Sveum has toned it down this year. With Tony Campana gone, Sveum pointed out the Cubs don't have much speed.

"We don't have a lot of what I call 'larceny guys,' so you're not going to see a whole lot of that going on," he said. "We're not going to try and trick people. We're going to have to have to do it by being smart on the bases and being aggressive, but at the same time, being a lot smarter than maybe we were last year a lot of times."