Jake Peavy is Looking Good?

At this point of the year it's really nothing more than speculation and as such, should be taken with a ten pound bag of salt, but it's certainly not a BAD thing that White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper is saying,

"I really didn't think he would be right there. I thought it would be slower, but he hopped right into it and has a chance to be ready."

That of course, is in regard to Sox ace Jake Peavy's rehab from a torn lat muscle. I'm not an injury expect by any means (nor have I ever played one on TV) but obviously an early return from Peavy would be in the White Sox best interests. The team is long on talent in the rotation, but frighteningly thin in terms of depth, with Chris Sale expected to open the season in the rotation in Peavy's absence.

Of course, the one thing you wont hear White Sox personnel say is that regardless of when Peavy makes it back, it's no sure thing that he'll be able to contribute at the level he did during his Padre days. Injuries unfortunately have been decidedly unkind to Peavy the past few years and as we saw last year, it took Peavy some time to regain his form after a terrible start to the season.

It's possible that the team could look to sign someone else to fill in for Peavy if they would prefer to have Sale open the season - Freddy Garcia is an oft mentioned candidate - but given the teams financial situation that would seem to be a difficult task to accomplish.