BOSTON -- Red Sox left-hander David Price had an encouraging update on his health on Saturday, saying the inflammation he is dealing with in his left elbow is nothing close to what he dealt with in Spring Training.
"I feel good, honestly," Price said. "It's nowhere near the extent of what happened on March 2. I feel good."
Following the elbow strain of Spring Training -- which Price referred to as a tear several weeks later -- he missed the first two months of the regular season.
Though Price was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Friday, retroactive to Tuesday, he is hopeful his absence will be short-term.
"Yeah. I'm way more optimistic than I was in Spring Training," Price said. "If Spring Training was a 10 out of a 10, this is a 1. It's not what it was in the spring. I'm confident that I'll be OK."
That said, Price conceded that he isn't likely to return the first day he is eligible, which is on Friday.
"I would have to say it will be more than 10 days," Price said. "But yeah, we'll play catch whenever it feels good. We did all the strength tests and the grip tests. My strength and my grip were both stronger than what they were in Spring Training before I came back. All the signs are really good. Just going to take it a day at a time, get all the treatment, and take care of it."
The injury Price dealt with in Spring Training centered around the forearm.
"I think it is in a different place. Just going on how my arm feels in everyday activity, whether it's brushing my teeth or just using my arm in everything that I do, in Spring Training that was very limited in what I could do," Price said. "Right now, it doesn't limit me in everyday activity. It's nowhere near what it was then."
The other reason Price thinks his recovery time will be much shorter is because his arm is built up through his Minor League rehab starts, and the 11 starts he's made for the Red Sox.
"I've probably averaged over 100 pitches since I came back. Before it happened in Spring Training, I hadn't thrown more than 30 pitches in an outing, hadn't even made an outing to that point," Price said. "I had one live BP when it happened in Spring Training. My arm is built up to this point. It won't be a long process once I start throwing."