Mark Prior Close To Being Ready For Majors, According To Report

Mark Prior is close to being ready for another attempt at the big leagues, according to a report from WEEI (via MLB Trade Rumors.) WEEI brings a report from his road roommate and recent call-up reliever Clayton Mortenson:

"In my opinion, he’s pretty damn close. He’s throwing the ball hard, locating his pitches and looks good," said Mortensen, noting that Prior’s fastball has been 90-94 mph. "His fastball is pretty electric. He hides the ball well. A lot of guys get a lot of [downward] plane, but he throws that sneaky one that guys always swing underneath all the time, and he’s locating it to both sides of the plate. It’s worked well with his curveball. He’s getting both fastball and curveball strikeouts, which is huge."

At the bottom of the AL East with a 32-33 record, the Red Sox have to be looking for any help they can get, including from the 31 year old Prior. Prior signed back in May, but it's never easy to predict how long it will take a player to return to the kind of form needed for the major leagues.

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Mark Prior Signs With Boston Red Sox

Mark Prior has returned to baseball, signing with the Boston Red Sox. Prior, the former No. 2 overall pick, has not pitched in MLB since 2006 and worked out with the Red Sox this spring. Prior has a 42-29 record with a 3.51 ERA.