Dice-K patient with comeback

MLB. When Daisuke Matsuzaka returns to action, the Sox starter wants to be sure he’s ready to go full speed. And given what’s on the line for both him and the team, that approach is being met with hearty approval.

Last night at Fenway, he threw approximately 50 pitches in his first full bullpen session since coming out of a start early on May 27 in Seattle with a mild rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder. His next session is scheduled for Friday in Cincinnati.

“I’m just trying to be not rushed and 100 percent since I usually perform at 100 percent every time, so I don’t want to be rushed about it,” Matsuzaka said through an interpreter after his workout last night at Fenway. “I want to go step by step to get back on the mound.”

Asked how hard he was going, he estimated 70 percent. His manager, Terry Francona, had no complaints.

“Good pitching is so hard to come by that we probably get overly cautious, and if that’s the case, I don’t think anybody in the organization is ever going to apologize,” Francona said.

Known for his legendary work ethic and long throwing sessions which frequently approach 150 pitches, Matsuzaka is modifying that regimen now as he works his way back from his first appearance on the disabled list while with the Red Sox.

“He’s done a really good job of what’s been asked of him because there are some differences of opinion on how to get there,” Francona added. “We’ve been pretty adamant on some things and he’s done a very good job of living up to that, which we’re pleased with.”