Trimmer Lawton reports

The Indians' outfielder was hurt often during the past two seasons.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) -- Indians manager Eric Wedge had a simple off-season message for Matt Lawton: arrive at training camp in shape or find a seat on the bench.
Lawton obviously took those words seriously.
The 32-year-old outfielder reported to camp this week in better shape than his first two seasons with the Indians, which were marred by injuries and poor play, even when Lawton was healthy.
"I think I'm ready to go," Lawton said. "I feel pretty good. I worked hard all winter. I lifted weights. I tried to condition myself. You name it, I did it."
Not only is Lawton more muscular, he's thinner in the face and trimmer around the waistline.
"He's changed his body more than anyone we have," Wedge said. "He's in much better shape. It's good to see that mentally, he's committed himself to it."
Wedge and general manager Mark Shapiro expect more from Lawton than he's shown since being acquired in the Roberto Alomar trade with the New York Mets following the 2001 season. Lawton batted .236 in 2002 and hit .249 last season.
Leadoff candidate
Lawton will likely play left field and is the top candidate to bat leadoff, Wedge said.
As long as he's not the designated hitter, Lawton said he doesn't care where he plays or hits.
"Leadoff is easy," he said. "You see a lot of fastballs."
The Indians need Lawton to add punch to the lineup and they wouldn't mind dealing him if he puts up numbers that would attract other teams. Unloading Lawton's $14 million over the next two seasons would mean a lot to the cost-conscious ballclub.
Lawton hit .305 in 2000 and .293 in 2001 in Minnesota before being traded to the Mets. But he's been a frequent visitor to the disabled list the last two seasons.
A calf injury and shoulder surgery limited him to 114 games in 2002. Last season, he dislocated his right middle finger in July and was out for about a month.
After the finger continued to bother him, his season ended in early September after playing 99 games. Lawton also had knee surgery later that month.
Pain free
"Nothing hurts right now," he said. "It's been awhile since I've been able to say that. When you get an injury, you think you can play through it, but you can't when you're 60 to 70 percent and everyone else is 100 percent."
The Indians were scheduled to hold their first full-squad workout today. Wedge said outfielder Ryan Ludwick (knee surgery) and non-roster 3B Kevin Orie (shoulder surgery) were the only players who wouldn't participate.
Ludwick missed the final month of last season. Wedge said the injury was worse than the Indians thought, but that Ludwick has made progress since reporting to camp last week. Ludwick batted .265 with seven homers and 26 RBIs in 39 games last season after being acquired from Texas.