JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals reliever Tyler Johnson does not yet feel pain-free in his left shoulder and will not throw for at least another week, he said this morning.

“I still have discomfort,” he said. Need to be “pain-free after doing exercises, and I’m not yet.”

Johnson has a strained rotator cuff and shoulder tendinitis, an injury that cropped up during his early bullpen throws here at the Cardinals’ spring training complex. An MRI of the joint showed no significant structural damage, and Johnson expressed relief that he would not need surgery. He has however been put on a strengthening and rehab program, in addition to treatment what he called “a lot of inflammation in there.”

The Cardinals do not expect Johnson to be ready for opening day, leaving Randy Flores and Ron Villone as the lefties in the bullpen. Johnson acknowledged Thursday morning that the injury sweeps him out of the competition, and he may have to come out of the minors to win a job.

“It’s disappointing,” said Johnson, who missed nearly two months of last season with tendinitis. “I wanted to go out there and compete for a spot without dealing with a nagging thing that I’ve (had) for awhile. … All I want is to be 100 percent healthy (and) not have a roller coaster season.”

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