BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Freddy Sanchez, relieved there is no damage to his right knee other than a previously diagnosed sprained ligament, said Tuesday he is resigned to missing opening day but hopes to return to the lineup sometime next week.

The NL batting champion plans to play in the Pirates' minor league camp today, his first game action since he was hurt turning a double play March 6, and he won't be worrying about the injury when he does.

"I'll go out and go as hard as I can," Sanchez said Tuesday. "If I've got to play with a little bit of pain and discomfort, so be it, as long as I know it's not going to get any worse. ... I play the game with no fear, I like to do a lot of things with no fear and you can't be cautious."

Sanchez, who has yet to play a full season as a major league regular yet owns a batting title, grew so frustrated with his longer-than-expected injury layoff that he sought a second opinion Monday. Alabama-based orthopedic surgeon James Andrews performed an MRI exam and other tests that confirmed he sprained his right medial collateral ligament.

According to Sanchez, Andrews told him he could play without further hurting the knee, as long as no new injury occurred. That news admittedly came as a relief to Sanchez, and he resumed working out Tuesday by hitting, throwing and doing some running in the minor league camp.

The only hurdles left are running the bases and making the sharp cuts, turns and pivots required to play second base. He was moved from third base, his primary position last season, to second base when camp opened last month.

"We're coming down to crunch time and I need to push it a little more — and I want to push it," Sanchez said. "That was very, very encouraging that I'm not going to damage it any more, that I can get out there and push it a little more. I'm going to do that and take it from there."