Former Braves manager Bobby Cox doing better after being hospitalized earlier this month

ATLANTA - After receiving thoughts of well-wishes and prayers, some good news for the former Atlanta Braves skipper. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Bobby Cox is making progress and is in rehab after suffering a stroke earlier this month.

People familiar with the situation say the former Atlanta Braves skipper has resumed walking and has regained feeling in his right side since he fell ill on April 3. But the people say Cox, 77, has yet to regain speech. The people spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because neither Cox nor the Braves have publicly disclosed details of his condition.

Current Braves manager Brian Snitker plans to visit Cox on Sunday and says "he's working so hard in his rehab."

"He's a fighter, and it's going to take a while," said Snitker, a former coach on Cox's staff.

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine, a Braves broadcaster, said it's not the same around the ballpark without Cox visiting the clubhouse on game days. Glavine played under Cox for much of his career.

"For a guy that's as feisty and fiery and as tough as he is, you hate to see him go through something this," Glavine said. "But at the same time those are the qualities that are probably going to pull him out of it and get him back to normal."

Cox was hospitalized a day after making an appearance at the Braves Home Opener. He reportedly underwent surgery to remove a blood clot.

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Hopefully, all the hundreds of players who have expressed their concerns and the thousands of fans who signed cards and sent other well-wishes helped raise his spirits.

Cox managed the Braves for 24 years from 1978 to 1981 and then again 1990 to 2010, leading the team to a World Series championship in 1995.

The 77-year-old is known as a fighter, having been ejected nearly 160 times during his career leading to his holding the all-time record for MLB ejections.

During his retirement season, every MLB team the Braves played, except for the Marlins, honored him. The following year his No. 6 jersey was retired and he was inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. Two years later, he was unanimously elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cox has continued to be active in the Braves organization on a part-time basis. He attended Monday's Home Opener and was spotted several times at Braves Spring Training at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report