Farrell: Price showed 'increased' strength in game of catch

David Price took another small step towards a return to the mound on Saturday.

The ailing Boston Red Sox southpaw - sidelined since late February due to elbow issues - once again played a light game of catch on Saturday, and while there hasn't been any change to his timetable, the results appear to have been somewhat positive. Manager John Farrell reported that Price showed an increase in strength before and during the brief throwing session.

"There was a series of strength tests done this morning in the training room and (we) felt like he was improved to the point of initiating more throwing," Farrell told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.

"A short game of catch, that's what he's going through, some throwing here today," the skipper continued. "Not off a mound but just to get the arm moving with a ball in flight and will continue in this phase for a period of time. There's no set distance and volume yet to the throws."

Price appeared to be optimistic himself, telling Tim Britton of the Providence Journal that his arm "felt good, it felt normal," after the game of catch.

Still, the 31-year-old's timetable for a return remains cloudy.

Price will open the season on the disabled list, and the Red Sox expect him to miss all of April at the very least. Although Price was cleared for light throwing in a cage on March 11, he's yet to resume an actual throwing program, something Farrell suggested earlier this week was still a ways away.

Ever the optimist, Price maintained he's fine with not rushing a return in order to be at 100 percent when he's back in game action.

"I've been through this before," Price said, according to Silverman. "It's not something you want to have to go through, but if you do it the right way and treat it the right way, you can come back stronger and ready to go."