Siuslaw graduate Jake Thompson is pitching bullpen sessions as the Boston Red Sox prepare for their spring training openers this weekend in Florida.

Thompson, 25, is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, performed last May be famed physician James Andrews.

"He expects to be held over for extended spring training before being assigned (a minor league team), probably in June," said his father, Jon Thompson, general manager of Coast Radio.

"(He) feels good about his arm. Pam and I will be flying out to see him in mid-May."

The 2013 Siuslaw graduate, and former All-American pitcher at Oregon State, was 0-1 with a 3.86 earned run average and five strikeouts in seven innings last spring for the Salem (Va.) Red Sox before the injury.

Thompson had allowed but one walk while posting an impressive walks and hits to innings pitched (WHIP) ratio of 0.86.

"Salem was grooming him to be a closer," Jon Thompson said. "His numbers weren't bad."

The injury was detected last April 17, a home game against the Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks.

"In his last outing he came in in the eighth and struck out the side," Jon Thompson said. "He came back out in the ninth and felt a twinge in his elbow."

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander was consistently hitting in the 94 to 96 mph range.

Thompson is in his fourth season of professional baseball. He was pitching in relief last season after spending his first two seasons in the Red Sox organization as a starter.

He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 34th round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft out of high school, but chose to attend Oregon State.

The Red Sox took him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.