Sabathia can feel ‘pain’ of Price
David Price spent part of Monday’s off day throwing an extensive bullpen, then he spent yesterday morning beating reporters to the punch.
“Feel great today,” Price wrote on Twitter. “This is my media session. All questions are answered if you have anymore (sic) ask manager John (Farrell).”
It’s unclear how many of Price’s 1.73 million followers would have liked a follow-up question, but based on more than 2,000 likes and 350 retweets, the information was both notable and well received.
According to his tweet, Price threw 45 pitches in three up-anddown stretches to simulate innings. He threw all of his pitches and “felt great after.” It was his most significant rehab work since a spring training elbow injury.
It was good news and a positive story, but Price didn’t want to talk about it.
At least one player in the opposing clubhouse might have understood why.
“I think it’s just like, let’s get past it,” Yankees starter CC Sabathia said. “We all know how to deal with what’s going on and what we’re going through. Stuff happens, but you’re just got to keep going. I think that’s the biggest thing for us. We don’t want to keep talking about certain situations.”
Sabathia was speaking generally, not commenting about Price in particular, but he’s also one of a handful of players who might relate to Price’s situation.
It’s not unusual for a high-profile player to become annoyed with regular questions about one specific topic, especially an injury. The Red Sox have dealt with a series of injuries and illnesses early in the season, and that’s made health updates an unavoidable topic within the clubhouse.
They’re usually brief, but they’re constant.
As for avoiding those questions, Price is unique both in his method and his status. The Red Sox don’t have another high-profile starting pitcher who’s making a ton of money while working his way through a slow rehab process and answering questions every tiny step along the way.
Sabathia’s been in that situation, though.
With a similar All-Star status and a similarly large contract, Sabathia spent time on the disabled list each of the past three years because of knee and groin issues.
Most days, Sabathia has an approachable and likable personality, and his relationship with the media is positive and engaging. While rehabbing, though, Sabathia’s often made little effort to hide his annoyance with repetitive updates after every long toss or side session. He’s always answered questions, but not with his usual inviting persona.
“I think it’s the repetitiveness of the questions,” Sabathia said. “And you’re trying to get past something, and it’s always going back to digging up stuff. That’s the hardest part about it.”
Is it annoying to draw conclusions based on something as routine as a bullpen session?
“No, we know that’s a part of it, of course,” Sabathia said. “But sometimes you’re not in the mood. Sometimes you are. It just depends on how the day’s going.”
At the moment, it seems Price’s days are going as expected, at least on the injury front. He was hurt in early spring training and went more than a month without throwing a bullpen, but his recent sessions have seen a steady progression.
The Red Sox have not given a firm timetable for Price’s return, though he will likely need to be stretched out through a series of minor league rehab starts. The team would like to get him up to 90 pitches, or so — typical end-ofspring training workload — so that he can rejoin the rotation without restriction.
“He’ll throw a bullpen (today), a light one,” Farrell said. “Basically he’s on a five-day turn right now. Yesterday was a strong day for him. He came out of it feeling good today. Typically, Day 2 (is a) light bullpen as it would be for a normal start. And then we’re looking at him facing some live hitters on Saturday here.”
Facing hitters would be a key step for a high-impact starter who’s clearly itching to get back into a game, and that would seem to be a positive story for a guy who can be in turns gregarious and elusive in his dealings with the media.
Price’s early Twitter announcement yesterday fit the latter description.
“He had his reasons for it,” Farrell said. “I can tell you this, my conversations with him today were no different than previous days. Communicated directly. Whether it was in person or electronically, that was his thoughts.
“Most importantly is the way he’s feeling and the progression he’s making, moving past the heavy volume and greater intensity week of two weeks ago, he’s on a good track right now.”