Red Sox pitcher David Price likely out until May

David Price may have avoided a serious elbow injury, but he is still without a clear timetable for returning to the mound.

It’s a common refrain that there are two types of pitchers — those who have been injured and those who will be injured. With that mind I present Boston Red Sox starter David Price, who has topped 220 innings pitched in three straight seasons and has led the American League in batters faced in two of the last three seasons.

Price was sidelined very early in spring training with an elbow injury, but he has yet to resume throwing from a mound and he will begin the season on the disabled list. After reportedly engaging in a light game of catch on Saturday, which qualifies as progress, there’s now some indication when Price will make his 2017 debut.

According to ESPN’s Scott Lauber, Red Sox manager John Farrell said Price’s latest examination showed “improved strength” in his elbow. But there’s still no timetable for when he will throw from a mound, and Lauber further suggests Price will not make his season debut until May.

Price had a rocky start for the Red Sox last season, after signing a seven-year, $217 million deal, with a 6.75 ERA over his first seven starts. But things normalized over the course of the season, and Price finished 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA over 230 innings (35 starts).

That said, Price’s average fastball velocity dropped below 93 MPH last year while he mixed in his cutter more often (19.7 percent, via FanGraphs). The drop in velocity is a bit concerning, and it’s worth wondering if his current elbow issue can be traced back to using his cutter more in 2016.

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Not rushing Price into anything is the right move by the Red Sox, since they have the starting pitching depth to make up for his absence through April if need be. But if Price doesn’t start to make more progress fairly soon, a possible May season debut could start to come into question.