BOSTON — David Price is to throw off a mound on Wednesday for the first time since July 22, the last time he made a start.
“It would be a big step,” Sox manager John Farrell told media in Toronto, including the Boston Herald. “Anytime a pitcher goes through that long toss and flat ground phase of their throwing, you start to incorporate the angle, that’s clearly a positive step. We’ll see how things build into tomorrow.”
The Red Sox lefty isn’t going to have time to get much work in minor league games, with the regular season ending about a month earlier than the major league season. Triple-A Pawtucket, for example, is scheduled to play its last game on Sept. 4. The PawSox are below .500 and won’t make the playoffs.
Sim games will have to suffice to get Price ready, as long as he’s physically capable.
“Just in general, assuming he gets on the mound tomorrow, I can’t envision him being in a game in a week,” Farrell said. “As we did prior to him starting the season with us, there were five or six sim games that we put together that we were able to build up a physical base. I would guess that we’d probably take that same approach, provided that we get to that.”
Dustin Pedroia, meanwhile, said he’s improved in his recovery from a bothersome left knee. The second baseman is to run the bases on Wednesday, which is a significant step. There’s been no publicly outlined timetable if the bases go well. An activation in New York for a four-game series that starts Thursday seems possible, although perhaps optimistic.
“A lot better,” Pedroia told reporters. “Obviously some time and rehab stuff and a lot of things have been supported. It’s doing good.”