Boston Red Sox star southpaw David Price says his sore elbow continues improving each day.
Even without a set timetable for his return to a mound, David Price’s words Monday morning should provide some reassurance to fans of the Boston Red Sox. Addressing reporters at the team’s facility in Fort Myers, Price said that his elbow is feeling better and that swelling continues to subside. He has not thrown off a mound since February 28, and has not pitched in a live game this spring.
"“It’s been getting better every day,” Price said Monday from the Red Sox’s spring training facility. “Kind of surprised that it’s responded the way that it has. If you asked me a week ago, I’d have said I felt ‘OK.’ And I feel really good right now. Today’s the best it’s felt. I don’t feel anything in there right now.”"
After being evaluated by two of the best orthopedic surgeons in the sports world, Drs. James Andrews and Neal ElAttrache, Price was to be shut down for seven to ten days. He was later on record as saying that there was no real timetable for his return to the mound. Price did some light throwing into a net over the weekend, but is still not close to pitching in a live game.
Price is still unwilling to commit to a date, leaving some uncertainty over how bad his injury actually is. The official diagnosis from the surgeons was never made public, but Price was advised that he did not need reconstructive surgery on his elbow.
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An interesting revelation from Price’s conversation with reporters is that the surgeons told the pitcher that they would have recommended surgery if he were younger. Andrews and ElAttrache determined that at the age of 31, Price’s elbow could heal without surgery. That’s good and bad for the Red Sox. There is clearly some significant wear and tear on Price’s elbow, and he is in the second year of a seven-year deal for $217 million.
Price is likely to start the season on the disabled list, and is still out indefinitely. Having thrown over 220 innings in three straight years, the left-hander’s elbow could be turning into a ticking time bomb.
Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Steven Wright, who would have battled for the fifth-starter role, will all now likely start April in the Boston rotation. There’s plenty of reason to believe that group can more than hold their own until Price is able to return to the big leagues. With enough depth in their rotation to cover an injury, the Red Sox can afford to bring Price along slowly.