Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria told the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday that he expects to rejoin the team around the middle of June.

Longoria, who's been sidelined since May 1 because of a partially torn left hamstring, told the Times he could begin a rehab assignment by the end of the team's current road trip, which is set to end Sunday.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said Longoria likely would need a rehab assignment of 7-10 days before returning to the big league club, according to the Times.

"It's feeling good," Longoria told the newspaper. "It's at the point where I'm ready to push it. I'm ready to see where we can get on a daily basis. I think we're past all the bad stuff. It's taken a lot of steps forward in the last week and a half."

Longoria told the Times he's been hitting as well as fielding grounders but hasn't run past 80-90 percent.