ANAHEIM, Calif. — James Shields slept in his own bed, saw his family for the first time since Arizona and later played catch with a teammate.
Not a bad little Monday, especially the last part.
The baseball activity Monday was the first test for Shields since he was shut down on May 3, and he emerged feeling good. Though he’ll go slow, Shields, who went on the disabled list on April 21 with a sore lat muscle, is set to resume his throwing program after the positive response.
That’s great news for a pitcher who has made at least 31 starts per season since 2007.
“When you’re not throwing for a long time and just watching the guys play you start to get a little itchy,” Shields said. “But I know it’s a process and I’m going to stick to the process. It has been fairly frustrating for me, but today was a great day. Good positive day.”
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The White Sox were hopeful Shields’ trip to the DL would be a short one when he was initially hurt. But after several days of playing catch, Shields had to shut down his program on May 3 because of soreness. Shields is 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 16.2 innings this season.
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He was cleared Sunday to start throwing again on Monday. Sunday’s clearance happened to coincide with Shields’ first night at home since February. His Del Mar home is about a 75-minute drive from Anaheim.
Shields arrived late Sunday night and got to take his kids to school on Monday morning. His day got even better after he arrived at the ballpark.
“Positive and in the right direction,” Shields said. “We’re going to move on tomorrow and start the throwing program.
“Just to continue to work towards getting back on the mound. We’re going to do our normal throwing program now and get going.”