It's time for the daily update on the status of Jon Lester's line drive-stricken right leg, and just like yesterday, the news couldn't be better.
"All things considered, he looks pretty good," Red Sox manager Terry Francona told ESPN.com on Saturday evening.
In the third inning of Friday's 9-5 loss to New York, Melky Cabrera shot a liner off Lester's right knee. Lester left the game but woke up on Saturday feeling better than expected. Sixteen hours after the injury, he told ESPN.com he was relieved that his knee was responding so well to treatment.
"It's still attached, so we're going in the right direction," he said. "It's not swollen too bad. As of now I'm planning to make my next start. I would like to get up on the mound again."
The Red Sox have eight games remaining in the regular season, and Lester is slated to take the hill on Thursday in the series opener against Cleveland. Despite the positive prognosis on his knee, the medical and coaching staff may decide to push the start back if they think it will help him recover.
Lester told reporters he has a baseball-sized bruise on the side of his knee. He iced it all morning on Saturday and planned to ride a stationary bicycle to get it loose.
The Red Sox recently announced that they plan to start Lester in a potential Game 1 of the American League Division Series, but if his final regular season start gets pushed back, those plans might have to be revised.
But Lester isn't thinking about the playoffs yet. He's thinking about Thursday.
"As of right now I'm planning to make my next start," he said. "I would like to get on the mound again before the end of the season."
