"If it was up to only Jon Lester, he would make his next start Friday night, the first chance he's eligible to be activated from the disabled list.

Instead, the left-hander will have to wait a few extra days.

Regardless, the announcement yesterday that Lester is penciled in to start July 26 against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park is great news for the Red Sox, who expect to have their ace back in the rotation within three weeks of him suffering a strained lat muscle.

"I think he was actually aggravated. He wanted to pitch Friday (against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway)," manager Terry Francona said before last night's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays. "I think that's good news for us that he must feel good. But we need to give him a chance where he can go out and not be stuck on 60 pitches in his first comeback."

Lester is slated to throw a light side session today in Baltimore, then a more rigorous bullpen session on Wednesday. Barring a setback, he will have another light tune-up either on Friday or Saturday.

All along, Lester said he didn't think the injury would linger. He left a July 5 start against the Toronto Blue Jays after four no-hit innings and joined fellow starter Clay Buchholz on the disabled list the following day.

While Buchholz is progressing slowly from a strained lower back muscle, Lester hasn't suffered any setbacks. In addition to the different nature of the two injuries, Francona believes Buchholz attempted to pitch through the discomfort longer than Lester did."