Price all clear, goes tomorrow
After all that, David Price won’t even miss a start.
It was just delayed three days. Price returned to the Red Sox yesterday after being diagnosed with mild carpal tunnel syndrome and threw a successful bullpen session that led the training staff to believe he could make his next start tomorrow.
Price had his start pushed back from Wednesday due to the ailment.
“I knew it wasn’t my shoulder,” Price said. “I knew it wasn’t my elbow. I was very adamant to (the coaches and trainers) before we made this decision. I knew both of those things were fine. I knew my wrist, hand, palm area, that was where the problem was. And that was the case.”
He first felt the symptoms worsen last Sunday during a bullpen session in Texas. After a full slate of tests by team doctors in Boston this week, the Sox cleared Price to get back to work.
Tests on his elbow and shoulder revealed “pristine” health, Price said. He also learned that his circulation is fine, though he previously thought it was an issue because his hands and feet are often cold.
Price didn’t say specifically what caused the carpal tunnel, but insisted video games were not the issue.
“If that was the cause of the problem then it started back in 1997, when I got my first Playstation when I was 12 years old,” he said. “I’ve always played video games, played it with my teammates in the offseason, at the field, at the hotel. That’s my generation. That’s what we do. If I need to shut down video games and pick up a new hobby, then so be it. But I do not think that’s the cause.”
He threw a bullpen session yesterday and said it was a bit difficult to spin breaking balls at first, but got easier as he went along.
The carpal tunnel was not to blame for his recent poor starts, but he said allergies played a big role in his most recent start in Texas, when he gave up nine runs (seven earned) in 32⁄3 innings.
“I couldn’t see,” he said. “My allergies, that is something I have always had to battle with as well. … It was cool the day before and then that last day it was warm. That’s part of it. I will be ready to go (tomorrow).”
The treatment plan for carpal tunnel involves using dry needles for muscular therapy.
“Just a lot of flushing that area out, trying to calm that area down and get that swelling out because whenever it swells it just puts a lot of pressure on all of the nerves and the tendon that’s going into my hand and my fingers,” Price said.
He said he’s hoping to avoid surgery, which has a two-month recovery period.
“That’s the plan, that it goes away,” Price said. “I don’t think it’s going to go away in its entirety. There are steps to what we do if it doesn’t go away. There are steps we would take, yes.
“Surgery would be the last thing. … I’m pitching the rest of the year.”
JBJ sits again
Make that two in a row on the bench for Jackie Bradley Jr.
Stuck in a 5-for-50 slump, Bradley sat out two games in a row for the first time under manager Alex Cora.
That allowed Mitch Moreland to get another start at first base.
“(Yesterday) was a big day (for Bradley),” Cora said. “He faced me in batting practice. Not too many guys get that. Two seamer, throwing it hard. He’ll hit early (yesterday), he’ll hit early (today), and we’ll go from there.
“But we talked about it (Wednesday), we’re making some adjustments and there was a better rhythm in batting practice (yesterday). You can see his hands were working a little bit more, he was able to drive the ball to left-center, that’s a good first step. Obviously he worked (Wednesday) throughout the day and (yesterday), that was good. I mean, it’s batting practice, he knows what’s coming but it was good. You can see he’s making strides. I’m not 100 percent sure if he’ll play (tonight). But at least (yesterday) was a good day for him.”
Wright relief
Knuckleballer Steven Wright is likely going to return to the Red Sox as a reliever.
“At this point it seems like it,” Cora said. “We have five starters. And five good ones.”
Wright will throw an inning out of relief for Triple-A Pawtucket today as he finishes a rehab assignment. He’s been suspended for domestic violence and can return to the Sox on Monday. …
Rehabbing reliever Tyler Thornburg will join the team in Toronto just to throw a bullpen session in front of the coaching staff and then return to his rehab assignment in the minors.