CHICAGO – Jake Peavy was back with the White Sox on Wednesday six weeks after surgery to reattach a muscle to the back of his right shoulder.

Peavy said he is on schedule to start doing some light tossing with a baseball by the start of the calendar year and is expecting to be nearing full strength by spring training.

“When you come back from Tommy John surgery, every week is mapped out for what you’re going to be doing,” Peavy said. “In this case it’s a little different in that regard. So we sat down yesterday and just talked through it. We made a good long-term plan and we expect to be on the mound in spring training.”

The right-hander still can’t lift his arm above his shoulder without discomfort, but was just glad to be able to remove his sling for the first time Tuesday.

Along with talking about his surgery, Peavy also showed photos of his surgery, along with some video. The gruesome graphic photos showed the hole doctors opened in his skin to get to the injured muscle. They also showed the injured muscle being pulled into place and the piece of bone that was shaved down so the muscle could adhere better.

Peavy said there were nothing but positives in his scheduled six-week examination.

“The doctor felt I had great range of motion,” he said. “The couple of scars aren’t bad and the scar tissue and stuff. It’s pretty amazing.. It’s unbelievable how the doctors go about things and how modern medicine is truly amazing.”