Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee is nearing his return to the rotation.
Lee has been cleared to make a minor league rehab start on Sunday for High-A Clearwater. The ace left hander has been out since mid-May with a strained elbow.
Cliff Lee will begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Class A Clearwater.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) July 2, 2014
On Tuesday the left hander threw 60 pitches in a three-inning simulated game and felt no ill effects a day later.
Prior to going down Lee made 10 starts for the Phillies with a 3.18 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 61/9 K/BB ratio.
Owed $25 million next season and at-least a $12.5 million buyout in 2016, the Phillies are going to have to lower expectations or eat money if a trade is to happen. Right now we would guess that the Phillies keep the 35-year-old.
