ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Dice-K expects to pitch again this season.

Boston right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka is scheduled for his first bullpen session Tuesday since going on the disabled list June 21 with a strain in his pitching shoulder.

Matsuzaka, who has been at the Red Sox spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., worked out with the team during a two-game series at Tampa Bay.

He played long toss and threw at 60 feet on flat ground Wednesday, and said his goal, “of course,” is to rejoin the team before the season ends.

Boston manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell spent almost an hour each talking with Matsuzaka, who is 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA in eight starts this year.

It was the first face-to-face meeting between Matsuzaka and Francona since the pitcher went public with concerns over how the team was handling his training techniques last week.

“It was really productive,” Francona said. “Regardless of whether I think he messed up or was wrong, we all make mistakes. It’s where we go from here. That’s more important to me than what happened last week. I felt real good about it and I think he did, too.”

Matsuzaka went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA last season. He told the reporters in English that he had no intention of criticizing the team.

“Training no problem,” Matsuzaka said. “No problem with Red Sox. We worked it all out.”

Matszuaka has been working on improving his English speaking skills on a daily basis.