Kazmir: I’ll be back before All-Star break

ST. PETERSBURG — Scott Kazmir would be pitching Friday night at Yankee Stadium if not for his strained right quad. He would be matched against CC Sabathia in a battle of hard-throwing lefties if not for his spot on the disabled list.

“I can’t wait to get back out there,” Kazmir said before Thursday’s 3-2 win against the Royals at Tropicana Field.

The question is: When?

“Before the All-Star break for sure,” he said.

Kazmir, who was 4-4 with a 7.69 ERA in nine starts, has been mixing bullpen sessions with long-toss sessions every other day. He said his mechanics are starting to come together.

“It’s becoming right,” he said. “I can see the ball coming out of my hands.”

His mechanics were the problem. Bad habits picked up last season as he struggled to pitch through elbow pain led to his quad problem this season.

“I was putting more pressure than I should have on a certain side of my body,” he said. “I was really bad during my last start in Boston (May 2). I almost had to scratch my start. Every time I landed I almost fell down.”

The pain was never that severe in his following starts, but it persisted to the point where he was forced to the disabled list.

“Everything is going good,” he said. “Real good.”

His return, though, is still in question.

Kazmir is scheduled to come off the disabled list Friday, but that won’t happen. His replacement, rookie David Price, will start opposite Sabathia at Yankee Stadium.

Kazmir will likely need several rehab starts before he can return to the Rays. Yet the plan for his comeback hasn’t progressed past the drills he needs to perform to recapture his proper mechanics.

“It hasn’t gone any deeper than that,” Kazmir said.