Farrell expects Price to begin season on DL

Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price's pitching elbow has been improving over the past week, but it appears he won't be ready for Opening Day.

Manager John Farrell told reporters Monday that it's likely Price will open the season on the disabled list.

"It'd be hard to see him go at the start of the season," Farrell said, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

The hard-throwing Price tested out his elbow for the first time March 4, throwing 25 balls into a net in the batting cages, and walked away feeling encouraged. He then successfully threw from flat ground on both Monday and Tuesday with similar intensity to his session with the net, according to Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald.

He has been out of action since undergoing an MRI on his elbow March 2, where the Red Sox saw something of concern. The southpaw immediately traveled to the NFL combine in Indianapolis to visit specialists Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Neal ElAttrache, whose diagnosis didn't require surgery.

Price, the 2012 Cy Young winner, posted a 17-9 record with a 3.99 ERA across 35 starts in 2016, which included 230 innings during his first season with the Red Sox last year.

He signed a seven-year, $217-million contract with the club in December of 2015.