Despite taking a line drive off his pitching elbow in his last rehab start, right-hander Jake Peavy would still like to make his White Sox debut against the New York Yankees on Saturday.
"Obviously, when you take a ball right off your pitching elbow and it hits you flush, to the point where it leaves seam marks on your arm, you're going to have to come out of the game," Peavy told reporters before Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox..
While Peavy said being hit by the liner in the fifth inning on Monday left him sore, he has a full range of motion in his arm.
"[There is] certainly some swelling." Peavy said. "Like I said, we'll treat it, treat it and treat it some more, and hopefully, things will calm down and I'll be able to throw in the next few days and this weekend won't be altered."
Peavy allowed four hits in five innings and did not give up a run while striking out three batters during his outing on Monday. Peavy also said if he had not been hit, he would have thrown more, noting that he was supposed to throw 80, or even 100, pitches on Monday.
"Last night, as the game went along, I got better, so that was encouraging. We'll see what this week holds, and from there on out, we'll just kind of play it by ear."
Peavy said other than getting hit, he has never felt better, adding that his body is getting used to the strain of pitching multiple innings. He also said his ankle was a "non-issue" in terms of being injured. Peavy injured a tendon in his right ankle in June, which landed him on the disabled list.
Peavy said even though his side session might be pushed back a day, he still might be able to pitch on Saturday.
"I think we've certainly talked about that," Peavy said. "Obviously, it would be a little bit lighter of a day if we threw it on Day 3 rather than on Day 2, but it's certainly a possibility."
Peavy said the decision on when he would make his big-league debut with the White Sox would have been easier had he not been hit on the elbow.
"To come out of [Tuesday's] work day and not being able to go out there and play catch is frustrating," Peavy said. "With the bullpen tomorrow being up in the air, that's obviously frustrating for me with all that's happened and all we've battled through to get to this point.
"Obviously, I want to pitch at this level. If and when I'm ready, we'll just decide that as a team and as Herm [Schneider, the team's trainer] and Coop [Sox pitching coach Don Cooper] and the guys who watch me throw my bullpen [session], all that stuff will be decided as soon as we know. So much is up in the air with me being hit by a ball last night."
Peavy didn't play any catch on Tuesday but hoped that in the next couple of days, he could take the mound and "flush some of this soreness out and be able to get back out there again soon."
Peavy said even though he might not be able to go a full seven, eight or nine innings, he wanted to give the White Sox a chance to win a few ballgames.
"I can promise you this: Every part of me wants to be out there Saturday in a great venue against a great team giving my team a chance to win," Peavy said.
"I believe that when healthy and I do feel right, I can go out there -- I may not be ready to throw seven to nine innings, but I believe I can go out there and give us somewhat of a chance to win.
"It's so much up in the air with me getting hit and with three starts in the minor leagues and trying to put it all together, you really don't know where you're at -- you feel like you do, but against big-league hitters, and obviously, against great ones like we're going to face on this road trip in a big-league atmosphere, you really don't know where you're at. Certainly, when and if the time comes, I'm certainly going to do all I can do to compete and hopefully win a couple of ballgames down the stretch."