Crain making strides toward return

CHICAGO -- White Sox reliever Jesse Crain played catch at about 70 to 80 feet Friday afternoon and saw signs of improvement from a shoulder strain that put him on the disabled list retroactive to June 30.

"Yeah, today I felt good throwing," Crain said. "I took the week off and today was my first day back and I think I felt better today than I did all last week.

"It started off real slow and when I got out there, it started to feel better. Hopefully it's on the way up."

Crain continues to take his injury day by day and refuses to put a date on his potential return, other than placing a goal of one week from Friday. He'll throw every day in trying to get the feel back, and manager Robin Ventura said that Crain probably would have to do a Minor League rehab stint before rejoining the White Sox.

"Once we get to that point, that'll be up to them," Crain said. "Obviously they want me healthy and to be back out there. If it's something they want me to do, yeah. We just have to wait until that time comes."

"If it was something like Jake [Peavy] had, his was more just because he's been gone so long and starting," said Ventura of Peavy's one Minor League rehab start Sunday. "Even for Jesse, I would like to see him at least get in a game somewhere in the Minors."