Jesse Crain injury: Expects to be ready for Opening Day

While he hasn't appeared in a Cactus League contest since the end of February, Chicago White Sox reliever Jesse Crain is confident he'll be a member of the team's Opening Day bullpen, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Crain last appeared in a spring training game on Feb. 25 when the White Sox took on the San Francisco Giants. Since then, he's been sidelined due to a right adductor strain. Crain told reporters that he knows what he needs to do in order to get ready for the regular season. His arm and pitches feel "great," and the right-hander is hoping to be "game ready" soon.

Crain logged a bullpen session Wednesday that he said was "positive." He was hoping to appear in a minor league game that same day, but didn't want to push his injury. The plan was to have him throw another bullpen session today and get back to playing in exhibition contests soon.

After signing with the White Sox prior to the 2011 campaign, Crain has spent the past two seasons with the team. He's been an extremely effective reliever, maintaining an ERA of 2.54 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio (SO/BB) of 2.41 over 118 appearances with Chicago. In nine seasons in the majors, the 31-year-old owns a career ERA of 3.22 with 2.02 SO/BB.