FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy doesn’t expect his injury to linger.
Peavy, who cut his left index finger in a fishing knife accident over the weekend, threw a bullpen session Wednesday at JetBlue Park. The bullpen session marked Peavy’s first significant step since suffering the injury, which the veteran hurler said shouldn’t be an issue by the time Opening Day rolls around.
“I certainly don’t foresee it going that long to where it alters (the regular season),” Peavy said Wednesday. “You can get some work in in any kind of controlled environment to get your arm speed up. I don’t think the number of games you get in (during spring training) has anything to do with it. It’s really the workload, and you can do that in a simulated environment. I think that if it came down to it, we could simulate a game environment and throw in one or two less actual games and still be ready.”
While Peavy is optimistic his laceration won’t cut — no pun intended — too deeply into his spring training plans, the right-hander still is limited in what he can do because of the threat of infection. Peavy did not catch return throws from the catcher Wednesday despite wearing his usual glove on his left hand.
“I think the biggest thing we’re going to try to figure out is making sure the wound is not going to come open. So we’re going to have to figure out a way to catch the ball before I can play in a game,” Peavy said. “I think that’s something we’re going to discuss (Thursday). But (it’s) encouraging that I feel like I can do anything I need to do at this point in time, other than really catch a hard-hit ball. We just can’t take the risk of it opening up again and getting an infection down in it as deep as it is, because that could cause problems.”
There’s currently no timetable for when Peavy will make his first spring training start — or even when he’ll begin catching return throws. Right now, he and the Red Sox are focused on monitoring his wound to ensure the stitches remain in place.
“It just felt good to be able to put the glove on — the uniform on — and just get some work in,” Peavy said. “That’s the biggest thing. You don’t want to take too much of a step back, and I think only a couple of days later after the incident to be able to get on the mound and get some good work in was crucial.”
Peavy, who was acquired by the Red Sox last July, is entering his first full season with the club.
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