ATLANTA -- First baseman Dmitri Young did not travel with the Nationals to Atlanta on Sunday night. Instead, he went to the University of Miami to see a back specialist.

Young has been on the disabled list since April 8 because of a lower back sprain, and there is no timetable on when he will return.

The Nationals slugger said recently he is having good and bad days. Young has not swung the bat in a while. He said he is taking baby steps as far as his recovery goes.

"I feel good today," Young said last week. "Yesterday, not too good. Tomorrow, we will see."

Meanwhile, reliever Chad Cordero appears close to getting his closer's job back. Manager Manny Acta said he was going to give Cordero one more outing to show that his velocity is back on track.

On Monday, Cordero appeared in his second game in three days and pitched one scoreless inning against the Braves.

At first, Cordero's fastball was clocked in the high-70s, but by the end of the inning, it was in the high-80s. Cordero acknowledged that in order to be his old self, he has to play catch a lot more and exercise the arm.

"I have to play catch with the outfielder a lot more, and in between innings, play with the heavy ball just to make sure that everything is all right," Cordero said.

The controversy regarding Cordero's arm has his father, Edward, worried. Cordero's father and the pitcher's agent, Larry Reynolds, flew from Southern California to Atlanta to give the right-hander words of encouragement.

"[Edward] is worried like any parent would be," Cordero said. "He wants to make sure that I'm all right and nothing is wrong. He worries a lot. That's the type of guy that he is."