Bradley, who agreed to a one-year contract with the Rangers last week, is coming off knee surgery but said that shouldn't keep him from being ready for Opening Day.

"My knee is fine," Bradley said in a conference call on Tuesday. "I'm ahead of pace for the average person. I'm where I need to be and I'll be ready for the start of the season."

Bradley underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Sept. 27, a procedure that normally takes at least six months of recovery time. That will likely leave him limited during Spring Training.

"I'll take it at whatever pace is necessary," Bradley said. "I've had knee surgery before, although not the same kind. You deal with it. Some days it will be cranky, some says it won't. I'll go at whatever pace is needed and be ready for the season."

The Rangers expect him to be their right fielder and bat somewhere between third and sixth in the order. He was the Athletics' right fielder in 2006, but has played far more games in center field than any other position.

"When he's ready to go, he'll settle in right field," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "If we don't get that natural center fielder, if Milton shows he's healthy enough to roam around out there, he'll be in center field. Milton will dictate that by how he feels."

When he's healthy, Bradley produces. Bradley, a switch-hitter, batted .306 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs in 61 games and 209 at-bats while splitting time with the Athletics and Padres last year. But he has had just one season in which he has played over 101 games. That was in 2004, when he hit .267 with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs in 141 games and 516 at-bats while with the Dodgers.

But health is a crucial issue with Bradley, who has been on the disabled list 12 times in the past six years. He was on the DL four times last season even before wrecking the knee in an argument at first base with umpire Mike Winters. Bradley brings with him a reputation for playing the outfield with reckless abandon, which hasn't been conducive to staying healthy.

"I'm myself, I play the game hard," Bradley said. "If I have a full season, I'll have great numbers. Early in my career, I was accused of not playing hard enough and you never want to have that. No matter how I feel, I give maximum effort, but you've got to be smart, know when to kick it in and know when not to. But if you don't, people will say you're coasting. It's not a winning situation, so you have to deal with it."

Bradley has had to deal with other situations as well, including well-publicized clashes with his manager, umpires and fans. He has been suspended twice for altercations with umpires but he was also the Dodgers' nominee for the 2005 Roberto Clemente Award and the players' nominee for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award because of his extensive work in the community.

"I don't have anything to hide and I don't have anything to defend," Bradley said. "I live my life to the best of my ability. I had a son two years ago and I'm at peace with myself. I'm happy to be a Ranger."

Washington was the Athletics' third-base coach in 2006 when Bradley played in Oakland and knows what he brings to a team. He was a big factor in Bradley foregoing a return to the Padres and joining the Rangers.

"He brings an attitude and intensity," Washington said. "He's not a rah-rah guy, but he leads by example by the way he plays the game. He brings everybody's level up by playing the game the way it was written to be played."

The Rangers agreed to a contract worth $5 million plus incentives with Bradley last week, but their outfield situation remains unsettled.

Right now, they have Bradley in right, Marlon Byrd and David Murphy in center and Frank Catalanotto in left. Nelson Cruz also remains in the picture. Free-agent center fielders Mike Cameron and Corey Patterson both remain on the market, and the Rangers have had discussions with the Reds about center fielder Josh Hamilton and the Dodgers about their extra outfielders. The Rangers like Andre Ethier, but the Dodgers would rather move Juan Pierre, who is owed $36.5 million over the next four years.

The Rangers are also without a true cleanup hitter, and that may be a role that Bradley helps fill even though he has never hit more than 19 home runs in a season.

"If you can get a guy who can hit a single or a double with runners in scoring position, you don't always need a guy who can pop the ball out of the park as your cleanup hitter," Washington said. "You just want a guy who can give you a good at-bat with runners in scoring position. Milton might be that guy."