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Lester appears to be fine

Jon Lester was welcomed back to Fenway Park today amid lots of handshakes, hugs and smiles. The smiles became even broader when all indications pointed to the fact that his latest setback is a minor one.

The young lefthander was the feature attraction in the Sox clubhouse as he returned for further tests on his left arm. Lester was removed early in his start in Pawtucket Wednesday night because of problems in his left forearm.

``It seems like a cramp,’’ manager Terry Francona said after speaking with Lester. That confirms what Lester indicated after pitching at McCoy. Franconca said Lester was going to be examined by Tom Gill, the team doctor, to be certain. Assuming it is merely a cramp, Lester will make only small adjustments in his schedule.

``We’ll maybe back him off a couple days, then get him a side day, then get him back on the mound,’’ the manager said. Lester reported that he has had similar problems in the past.

``Mostly it happens to him in the first month of the season,’’ Francona said. No one is sure why.

``It could be the way he’s gripping a pitch. Who knows. You don’t know. We’ve all gotten a cramp before,’’ Francona said. ``Most of the time you don’t know why you got it.’’

If the examination goes as expected, it appears all but certain that Lester will be activated from the disabled list soon and then sent back to Pawtucket to get in more work. Francona made it clear all indications are that the issue is minor.

``It’s exciting to talk about baseball stuff with him again,’’ the manager said.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 5:03 PM | Permalink