"Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said he will be "close to 100 percent" physically when he returns to the Rays as scheduled on Tuesday.

Longoria, speaking on a conference call, said he has felt increasingly comfortable during his rehab assignment at Double-A Montgomery, where he will play his fourth and final game tonight. He has been out since April 2 with a strained left oblique.

He said he expects to be about 85 percent comfortable facing big-league pitching on Tuesday but that it should only take him a couple games to feel fully comfortable."