JUPITER, Fla. -- Two-thirds of the Marlins' outfield was back on the field on Tuesday.

Left fielder Logan Morrison (right knee) and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (left knee) each played five innings in a Minor League game on a back field at the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

Manager Ozzie Guillen personally went back and watched them for a couple of innings.

"Very good news down in the Minor Leagues," Guillen said. "LoMo and Stanton looked pretty good. I went down myself to take a look at them. They looked better than I thought."

To play it safe, neither will be used in a Grapefruit League game until perhaps Friday night, when Miami faces the Nationals in Viera.

On Wednesday, the two will be used as designated hitters. If that goes well, they will be playing in the field again on Thursday in Minor League action.

Both Morrison and Stanton are optimistic to be ready for Opening Day, which is April 4 against the Cardinals at Marlins Park.

The past three days, Morrison and Stanton had been used strictly as designated hitters in Minor League games.

Morrison received a bit of a scare on Monday, as his left knee locked up, causing pain and discomfort. He was assisted off the field and carted back to the clubhouse.

"It just won't move," said Morrison, who noted the joint locks up briefly. "If you try to move it, it's painful. I wanted to sit there and let it do its thing and loosen up after a while.

"It's happened to me before. It's no big deal, except it hurts. But afterwards, it's fine."

The knee that locked is Morrison's left knee, or the knee that didn't require surgery in early December. Morrison's right knee also is responding favorably.

Stanton, meanwhile, is wearing a brace on his left knee, which has bothered him since mid-March.

Blister a non-issue; JJ readies for spring finale

JUPITER, Fla. -- Developing a small blister in his previous start was a sign that Josh Johnson's slider was sharp.

It also was a reminder to temper one of his main pitches back a little bit.

The most encouraging news for Johnson and the Marlins is the blister is a non-issue, and the two-time All-Star is set to make his final Grapefruit League start, which will be on Friday against the Nationals in Viera.

Johnson developed a blister under the nail of his right middle finger while he was facing the Rays' Elliot Johnson in the fifth inning on Sunday at Port Charlotte. Manager Ozzie Guillen, pitching coach Randy St. Claire and trainer Sean Cunningham trotted to the mound, and after a brief conversation, Johnson continued and worked through a jam.

Johnson said there are no setbacks. On Tuesday, he threw his normal between-starts bullpen session, and he's ready for Friday. The blister, he says, is a product of the grip on his slider.

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"My slider was breaking, that's for sure," he said. "It was breaking good. I've just got to corral it a little bit. But it was doing what I wanted it to do."

The Marlins will start Johnson in their April 4 opener against the Cardinals in the first regular-season game at Marlins Park.

After throwing 80 pitches at Port Charlotte, Johnson is just about set for the regular season.

A key moment for him on Sunday was working out of a second-and-third, no-out jam in the fifth. Johnson got re-energized, striking out Ben Zobrist and Matt Joyce before retiring Evan Longoria on a fly ball to right field.

"Getting that adrenaline going in that fifth inning the other day was huge for me," Johnson said. "You don't want to just jump into it and say, 'When is it going to come? When is it going to come?' It was like, 'Yes.' This is what I was kind of waiting for, to get something like this kicked in."

Often in Spring Training, there isn't a lot of drama to work through. For Johnson, who missed more than half of the 2011 season due to right shoulder inflammation, being tested like he was in the fifth inning forced him to execute under pressure.

"It's so hard getting up for those Spring Training games, especially at the end of Spring Training, when you're waking up early every single day," he said. "You have the adrenaline going at the beginning of the games, but then it kind of goes away. To get it back, that's what I was kind of waiting for, to see how it responded and everything."

Productive Nolasco caps Grapefruit slate

JUPITER, Fla. -- When Ricky Nolasco next takes the mound, it will be on Sunday afternoon against the Yankees and in front of a big crowd at Marlins Park.

The Marlins' No. 3 starter made his final Grapefruit League appearance at Roger Dean Stadium on Tuesday.

The performance was encouraging, as he gave up one run in 6 1/3 innings while striking out four in the Marlins' 3-1 win over the Nationals.

In front of 2,920 on an 80-degree afternoon, Nolasco did yield nine hits -- all singles -- but he didn't walk a batter, and 60 of his 83 pitchers were strikes.

"These are the days that we're ready to get out of here," Nolasco said. "It's been a while, but at the same time, it's been very productive.

"I'm excited to get to the new stadium and move in there and have a nice crowd and a good atmosphere and those kinds of things. It's going to be exciting, and I think everybody in here is looking forward to it."

Before opening the regular season against the Cardinals on April 4 at Marlins Park, the Marlins will play back-to-back exhibitions against the Yankees in Miami.

A maximum of 25,000 tickets have been sold for Sunday.

For Nolasco, it will be his last appearance before he makes his first regular-season start on April 7 at Cincinnati.

There promises to be plenty of energy when the Marlins take on the Yankees at their new ballpark.

"It will be nice to get some adrenaline going," Nolasco said. "It's a little tough out there. It will be exciting."

Choate to stay back Wednesday to face lefties

JUPITER, Fla. -- There has been a change of plans regarding Randy Choate, but not due to any setbacks.

Initially, the Marlins lefty specialist was set to pitch in a Grapefruit League game against the Astros in Kissimmee on Wednesday. The veteran won't be making the trip.

Instead, Choate is remaining in Jupiter, and he will pitch an inning in a Minor League game at the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

The reason is to have Choate face only left-handed hitters.

Choate has missed time in Spring Training due to a muscle strain on his right side. He made his lone Grapefruit League appearance on Monday against the Tigers in Lakeland. He threw a 19-pitch inning, with 12 strikes. Choate faced two left-handed and two right-handed hitters.

In 2011, Choate appeared in 54 games, posting a 1.82 ERA. Left-handers batted .145 against him.