PORT ST. LUCIE — When Daniel Murphy got back on the field to take batting practice for the first time since injuring his intercostal muscle last month, his swing was a little different than when he left off.

Murphy attributed the injury that sidelined him for more than two weeks to a change he made during the offseason. Though he has not abandoned the new approach, he has made more adjustments.

“I’ve been trying to gain a little bit more leverage against the ball, so I’m putting my lead foot in the ground more and face it toward home plate,” Murphy said after his workout, which included fielding 30-35 ground balls at second base.

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The slightly new swing is something he began working on in December after watching players as different as Chase Utley and Miguel Cabrera use the stance. He spent most of the offseason working with his brother Jonathan, an outfielder in the Twins’ farm system, trying to perfect it.

Though he is pleased with the results, Murphy said he thinks the added pressure on his side helped cause the issue with his intercostal.

“It took the brunt of the load because I have tight hips,” said Murphy, adding he felt no pain during yesterday’s session. “So now I’m trying to loosen my hips up, but also find a happy medium where my foot isn’t completely in the ground. That way, I’m not putting as much pressure on my side, but I’m still not abandoning it entirely.”

The idea, as the examples of Utley and Cabrera would suggest, is to find more power.

Murphy liked what he saw before he got hurt.

“I think I’m hitting the ball with more authority, especially to the middle of the field,” Murphy said. “It allows me to stay on the ball longer and the desire is to turn singles into doubles and maybe doubles into home runs.”

Despite taking a full round of batting practice, Murphy said he will not know the impact of his new swing until he starts playing in games.

“It’s tough to tell now, but I know when I’m in the cage and doing it right, the ball is jumping better,” Murphy said.

His first priority is getting back on the field.

“Now that I know I’m healthy, I can start working on some things,” Murphy said. “I’d like to get in a game as soon as possible.”

After a day off today, Murphy plans on going through a similar workout tomorrow.

“I’ve got to get my legs underneath me again,” Murphy said. “As long as I feel good, I know that will come.”