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Phoenix - Brewers manager Ron Roenicke conceded Wednesday that left-handed reliever Tom Gorzelanny likely will open the season on the disabled list.

Gorzelanny had off-season shoulder surgery and has been brought along slowly in spring camp. He currently is throwing long toss off flat ground at 150 feet as he works on rebuilding strength in the shoulder.

But, with less than three weeks remaining before opening day, Gorzelanny will not have time to pitch enough bullpen sessions, then get enough innings during exhibition play to open on the active roster.

"He's still a ways away," said Roenicke. "It doesn't look real good unless something happens where he comes along really fast. I don't think it's going to be a lot (of season missed), as long as there are no setbacks. But we're pushing it maybe a little."

Gorzelanny said he has no discomfort in the shoulder and there is good range of motion but he still must rebuild strength before pitching in games.

"It's feeling pretty good," he said. "I can feel it getting stronger. That's what we're working on now."

Assuming Gorzelanny opens on the DL, it could impact the status of a couple of other lefty relievers, Wei-Chung Wang and Zach Duke. Wang is a Rule 5 draft pick who must be kept all season or offered back to Pittsburgh, which likely would want him back. Duke is trying to make the bullpen as a non-roster player.

"It's hard to talk about all these things because so much changes," said Roenicke. "We spend a lot of energy talking about stuff that we can wait to talk about."

Asked if he thought Pittsburgh would want Wang back after throwing the ball well for the most part this spring, Roenicke said, "It's hard to comment on what they're thinking. I'm sure they were hoping that because he was in rookie ball (in 2013) that nobody was going to pick him up and keep him the whole year. He's got a nice fastball, and he's young, so there's a lot of upside to him. His personality doesn't seem like (facing big-league hitters) is going to affect him."

Roenicke isn't ready to make it official yet but lefty Will Smith almost certainly will have a spot in the bullpen.

"The way he's throwing the ball, yeah," said Roenicke. "He looks really good. He probably commands the ball better than I thought (previously), down in the zone. I saw (video) clips of the highlights of the punch-outs but he really commands his fastball well."

Of the decisions the Brewers have to make with the aforementioned lefties, Roenicke said, "That's nice to have. And good ones. I don't want a lefties that are not good. They're good."