Buchholz rehab start could be July 14

ANAHEIM -- Red Sox right-handed pitcher Clay Buchholz had a light throwing day on Friday, but will continue the process of ramping back up over the weekend.

If all goes well, Buchholz could throw a couple of bullpen sessions when the Sox are in Seattle for a four-game series Monday-Thursday.

Perhaps the ideal scenario, according to manager John Farrell, is for Buchholz to pitch in a Minor League rehab game on the Sunday before the All-Star break, which is July 14.

The right-hander would probably need two starts in the Minors before returning to the Red Sox. The earliest Buchholz slots back into Boston' s rotation would probably be around July 24, when Boston is in the middle of a four-game series against the Rays.

"There's some reconditioning that has to go on here and you can't shortcut that," said Farrell. "What we don't want to do is put Clay or us in a position to be limited by a certain pitch count that has the potential of overtaxing the bullpen."