David Price said he will make his next scheduled start at Toronto on Saturday while the Sox staff manages his mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome.

By Bill Koch Providence Journal

NEW YORK -- David Price emerged from the Red Sox clubhouse about four hours before Thursday’s scheduled first pitch at Yankee Stadium and headed for left field.

Boston’s left-hander played catch along the warning track before moving into the bullpen, throwing somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 pitches under the watchful gaze of manager Alex Cora and pitching coach Dana LeVangie.

The outcome for the Red Sox was a positive one. Price pronounced himself fit to make his next scheduled start at Toronto on Saturday, and Cora confirmed that would indeed be the case during his own pregame remarks.

“I’m pitching the rest of the year,” Price said.

“He will pitch Saturday unless something comes up the next few days,” Cora said. “That’s the plan – for him to pitch Saturday.”

Price was sent back to Boston on Tuesday for a battery of medical tests after experiencing recurring numbness in his pitching hand. He was scratched from his Wednesday start, with Rick Porcello taking his place on normal rest and the Red Sox suffering a 9-6 defeat. Price was ultimately diagnosed with a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome, one that will be managed by Boston’s training staff for as long as symptoms exist.

“We do feel the plan is in place,” Cora said. “I’m glad he feels that way. Obviously it’s going to be outing by outing. The communication has to be there. He has to be honest with us. We will take care of him.”

Price will attempt to perform some day-to-day tasks with his right hand in the interim and will wear a brace to bed each night. He’ll also abstain from playing video games at the ballpark, with Price and some of his teammates drawing attention for their participation in the Fortnite craze that is sweeping the gaming world.

“I’m born in 1985 – that’s the video games generation,” Price said. “Being a Red Sox is the least amount of video games I’ve ever played being in major league baseball. It’s a very common thing with my generation of that age. That’s when the video games really took off.

“It’s not something that just happened this year. This is a spot that I’ve always had to have worked out. It just got a lot worse and really aggressive than it ever had. It’s something we can take care of, we’ve got a lot of different ways to combat it and we’re going to.”

Price’s left wrist and palm will undergo some dry needling, an alternative treatment similar to acupuncture. The goal is to reduce and flush out any swelling and pain in the region. It could explain why Price has thrown just two curveballs in his last two outings, one of which was driven for a home run by Tampa Bay catcher Wilson Ramos in a 12-6 home loss on April 28.

“Those are the pitches I feel like you have to concentrate on really putting a lot of pressure on the baseball,” Price said. “Once I got into the bullpen and started throwing offspeed pitches and breaking balls it felt like it got stronger. It didn’t bother me.”

Price lasted just one inning against the Yankees in an April 11 start at Fenway Park, removed after experiencing numbness in his pitching hand. He said at the time cold temperatures were to blame, and Price also cut a bullpen session short in Texas on Sunday due to a flare-up of allergies. The trio of maladies will all be managed separately by Price and Red Sox staff members, with Cora as much a student at this point as a decision maker on when and how Price will be used.

“I sit there and I listen,” Cora said. “I’m learning throughout the process. It’s different with players these days.”