Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz has been approved to begin a throwing program beginning today. Before we get too excited it is just light throwing, but this is a big first step. I have said all along I will be shocked if he is able to start another game this year, but if he keeps progressing like this then who knows. Then again, we have been through this before, and it's usually when he gets to the bullpen sessions that he runs into trouble.
Unless Buchholz can come back as a starter, I'd rather not have him. Pitchers can get weird coming out of the bullpen, and if that's all he was able to do I would rather have him take the rest of the year off and get ready for 2012.
There are also rumors the Red Sox could take him off the roster for the first round, let him get stretched out, and then use him in the 2nd round. The question there is do you trust a pitching coming off the DL to start a playoff game. I guess at that point it would be more about how Lackey/Bedard/Miller are pitching more then anything else.