SARASOTA, Fla. -- No, Francisco Cordero hasn't been pitching yet in the pressure cooker of a ninth-inning save situation. Yes, it's only March.

Therefore, what can be made of the fact that Cordero has looked far from dominant through three outings for the Reds this spring? Not much, at least not yet.

"It's too early to worry, No. 1," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "You could be worried about something you don't need to be worried about yet. With a week left in the preseason, you're a little concerned."

Cordero has a 22.50 ERA through two appearances (five earned runs over two innings).

What doesn't count in the stats book was Wednesday's exhibition outing vs. the Netherlands. In one inning, Cordero gave up one earned run and one hit -- on former big leaguer Randall Simon's RBI double -- while allowing one walk and striking out two.

Also a factor: Cordero is working his way back from September arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle. His running was limited in the opening days of camp.

"I feel good. My body, my shoulder, everything else feels good," Cordero said. "I'm just trying to get back on track and get everything normal with my ankle. It's been great. I'm working more to get the ankle ready than anything else. It's not like you want to go out there and give it up. Every time I pitch, I want to do a good job. I'm not worried about what's happening right now -- if I give up hits or runs. Obviously, I don't want to do that, but I don't worry about it."

All three of Cordero's outings have come in the early innings of games, usually just after the starter departs. That way, he has a better chance of facing other team's regular hitters.

"I've seen [former Dodgers star] Don Sutton get killed in the spring," Baker said. "Rick Reuschel got killed in the spring. A lot of times I asked Sutton, 'What's happening,' and he said he was trying to find what the kid would hit so he wouldn't throw it to him later."

Cordero was one of baseball's bigger free-agent acquisitions last winter when the Reds signed him to a four-year, $46 million contract with a $12 million club option for 2012 -- which was a record haul for a closer. The 33-year-old was solid, but not sensational last season, as he notched 34 saves out of 40 chances in 72 appearances -- all while going 5-4 with a 3.33 ERA. The previous year with the Brewers, he saved 44 games, and Cordero's walks total jumped from 18 in '07 to 38 in '08.

What wasn't largely known, at least outside of the trainer's room, was that Cordero was bothered by a gimpy ankle all season. He wasn't able to do any running or conditioning, which might have contributed to his wearing down. Cordero's second-half ERA was 4.94 compared to 2.30 in the first half, and he appeared to sometimes have issues fielding his position.

Cordero didn't believe the ankle issue affected his performances.

"I was doing everything normal last year," Cordero said. "The only thing I didn't do was run outside. I had to be on a bike. Besides that, it was OK with me to pitch. I think I did a pretty good job last season. We didn't win as many games last season. I think it will be a little bit different this year. The team is a little bit different. We'll be better, and I will try to do a better job than I did last season."

Three days before the end of the season, Cordero had a bone spur removed in what was termed a "minor microfracture procedure."

"Before the surgery, I dealt with it for two years," Cordero said. "Now I just have to get back to normal, run normal and not think about it. I don't feel any pain. At the beginning of spring, I was limping and more worried than anything else."

Before camp is over, Cordero should likely have eight appearances and eight-to-10 innings under his belt.

"It's been so long since I've pitched," Cordero said. "It's been so long since I've run normal. It's probably in the back of my mind when I'm doing PFP [pitchers' fielding practice] and pitching in a game. I haven't felt anything at all. Maybe I've been thinking. I just have to get it out of my mind."