Crawford has setback

[SoxFanForsyth]

Sean McAdam ‏ @Sean_McAdam

Told that Crawford has UCL injury that will not require surgery. Timetable uncertain but Sox are hopeful that it won't take 3 months.

 

Maybe not as bad as anticipated?

[a700hitter]

Maybe not as bad as anticipated?

Does the 3 months include April?

[Station 13]

Does the 3 months include April?

 

i guess it's 3 starting today.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Does the 3 months include April?

 

Not sure. Still no official word.

[Station 13]

Not sure. Still no official word.

 

We don't get that kinda break.

[iortiz]

i guess it's 3 starting today.

 

then... August is the month.

 

if so, these are terrible news, terrible.

[Station 13]

then... August is the month.

 

if so, these are terrible news, terrible.

 

Yeah since the thing just cropped up recently. His wrist was a different thing.

[User Name]

Meanwhile, Jayson Werth is over his year-one slump and is sporting an .833 OPS with a .403 OBP for the Nats.

[Brennan]

Yet another year that Crawford kills the Sox. Sometimes I wish the ghosts of past players could enter the field and slap the s*** out of these overpaid pansy players of today.

[FredLynn]

Wow. Just wow. Ellsbury will be back before Crawford.

 

We're going to have a monster team in July, August, and September with Bard back to the pen by then, Ellsbury back, Crawford back, Bailey back...

 

Not sure if this means Crawford misses a total of 3 months (i.e. April, May, June) or if he misses 3 additional months from today (May, June, July).

 

Either way, this blows.

 

MAYBE Ellsbury will be back before Crawford. Remember which medical staff we are dealing with here.

Can we categorize Crawford's injury as a "major minor injury" yet?

Minor injury my ass; I knew I smelled a rat. I can hardly wait to get the official press release from the FO.

[FredLynn]

The Sox are about to issue a statement. Crawford saw Dr. Andrews today.

 

I'm very confused, though. 3 months isn't nearly long enough to recover from surgery. So if it's something that doesn't require surgery, what could it be that would require 2.5 - 3 months of rest?

 

I suspect he will have arthroscopic surgery but not replacement of his UCL. Could be a partial tear that needs reuniting.

[jung]

Anyway we can get a do over on this guy....anyway at all. Can we just claim Theo temporary insanity or something!

[FredLynn]

Anyway we can get a do over on this guy....anyway at all. Can we just claim Theo temporary insanity or something!

 

As much as I would like to blame Theo for this incident, I don't think that would be fair. I am sure he had no knowledge of Crawford's elbow injury, and if it was just his wrist, he would be back by May 1. There is plenty of things besides this to blame Epstein for. I cannot lay the blame in his lap this time.

[User Name]

As much as I would like to blame Theo for this incident' date=' I don't think that would be fair. I am sure he had no knowledge of Crawford's elbow injury, and if it was just his wrist, he would be back by May 1. There is plenty of things besides this to blame Epstein for. I cannot lay the blame in his lap this time.[/quote']

 

Do you really think Crawford was an Epstein-lobbied signing? He goes against everything he ever stood for in roster construction.

[FredLynn]

Do you really think Crawford was an Epstein-lobbied signing? He goes against everything he ever stood for in roster construction.

 

Yup

[jung]

As much as I would like to blame Theo for this incident, I don't think that would be fair. I am sure he had no knowledge of Crawford's elbow injury, and if it was just his wrist, he would be back by May 1. There is plenty of things besides this to blame Epstein for. I cannot lay the blame in his lap this time.

 

I don't know who to look at for the Crawford signing...normally you would look there for a FA signing by a baseball team but in organizational zoo that is the Red Sox who the heck knows....the point is that was a terrible signing from day 1. Never should have happened. At this point there are not words in the English language to describe it.

 

Probably have to go to French to find something since the French have a good deal of experience with things that are f***ed beyond all recognition.

[scsoxsfan]

Hard to believe that a single bunt can put you out for another 3 months. Said day hopefully he can heal quick but the med staff will be put on blast for this one.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Michael Silverman ‏ @MikeSilvermanBB

#RedSox source: Club expects Crawford back in action before All-Star break. A return in June not out of the question.

 

Nice. Nice. Nice.

[Palodios]

Nice. Nice. Nice.

 

Sweet! The Red Sox have had some of the worst outfields in baseball the last few years, so I'd love to see that change.

[redsoxbeatz]

Thank God. Prayers for CC.

[Gringo]

All these people who think CC is gonna be the magic potion we need seem to have forgotten how terrible he was last year.

 

When he comes back, he's going to still be in a ongoing state of recovery, rusty as hell, and possibly just as bad a hitter as he was last year.

 

Better hope Ross and Sweeney continue to rake, cuz CC is nothing more than a roll of the dice.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

All these people who think CC is gonna be the magic potion we need seem to have forgotten how terrible he was last year.

 

When he comes back, he's going to still be in a ongoing state of recovery, rusty as hell, and possibly just as bad a hitter as he was last year.

 

Better hope Ross and Sweeney continue to rake, cuz CC is nothing more than a roll of the dice.

 

You seem to have forgotten the player from Tampa Bay who gave us hell when we played them. That's why people are optimistic about him. I don't know about you but I think his time in Tampa outweighs his ONE SEASON in Boston. That's just me though.

[wyo-sox]

I thought Carl has said he was never comfortable last year. To me it is a flip of the coin if he would be worth anything. I wonder how comfortable he will be with a more outgoing manager, the pressure of coming off a bad year, and knowing his fill ins are hitting the all really well. Can you imagine if he comes back and stinks with the bat- how is the tension of the team going to be with Ross or Sweeney on the bench after gelling with the team and hitting the ball so well.

[iortiz]

Source: Carl Crawford out 3*months

 

The Boston Red Sox announced Thursday night that Carl Crawford has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left (throwing) elbow, the injury that often results in Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.

 

But rather than opt for surgery, the team said the outfielder will follow a protocol of more conservative treatment.

 

"It is what it is what it is," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Thursday night after Boston's 10-3 over the White Sox in Chicago. "We'll just let Mother Nature take the time to heal him up and get him back. I don't know how to explain it or put it into my thought. I wish he was 100 percent. Not playing for awhile is going to kill him more than it's killing me."

 

A major league source told ESPN's Pedro Gomez that Crawford is expected to miss three months, a timetable that Crawford challenged in a text message to John Tomase of the Boston Herald.

 

"I don't know where they got three months from," Crawford texted, adding he doesn't expect to be out that long.

 

 

Crawford

"I'm good," he texted. "It's just one of those things you can't control. I'm still looking forward to coming back strong."

 

The Red Sox said in their statement that Dr. James Andrews, who examined Crawford Thursday, confirmed the diagnosis made by the team's medical staff.

 

"Carl Crawford was examined by the Red Sox medical staff," the statement read. "He was diagnosed as having a left elbow ulnar collateral ligament sprain. A conservative treatment protocol was recommended. Carl was also examined by Dr. James Andrews who was in agreement with the assessment and plan. Carl received a Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injection and will be shut down from baseball activity during the initial phase of his treatment."

 

PRP therapy for tissue injuries is a fairly recent development for professional athletes, and its effectiveness is still debated. Golfer Tiger Woods and pro football players Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu are among the athletes who have undergone the treatment.

 

"Some physicians are finding better success with PRP injections on partial UCL tears, depending on the location of the tear within the ligament,'' said ESPN.com sports medicine expert Stephania Bell.

 

As a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008, pitcher Takashi Saito, who had a torn UCL in his throwing elbow, underwent PRP treatment instead of undergoing Tommy John surgery. After missing two months (53 games), he returned to pitch at the end of the season and in the playoffs.

 

The process, as described by Scientific American: "For the treatment, doctors take a small vial of a patient's blood, about 30 milliliters, and spin it in a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma from the other components. Then they inject the concentrated platelets at the site of the patient's injury. In theory, the growth factors that platelets secrete (not including human growth hormone) spur tissue recovery."

 

The ulnar collateral ligament is located on the inside of the elbow, where it attaches the humerus bone to the head of the ulna bone, and stabilizes the elbow. A sprained UCL is a common injury for pitchers, a consequence of overuse.

 

Three Red Sox pitchers -- Junichi Tazawa, Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey -- have undergone Tommy John surgery in the past two years. Tazawa has resumed pitching, Matsuzaka on Saturday is making his second rehab start, and Lackey is expected to miss the season.

 

In an eerie coincidence, Crawford's former teammate with the Tampa Bay Rays, Rocco Baldelli, sprained his UCL under very similar circumstances to Crawford. Like Crawford, Baldelli was rehabilitating from another injury -- in Baldelli's case, torn knee ligaments -- when he tore his UCL while throwing in the outfield.

 

Crawford, of course, has been in Florida rehabbing from a left wrist surgery when he hurt his elbow, an injury he said he first became aware of while the team was still in spring training. Crawford returned to Boston for an MRI on April 10, and after a follow-up exam in Boston on Tuesday, sought out Andrews for a second opinion.

 

Baldelli ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the 2005 season.

 

The Red Sox statement did not indicate the severity of the sprain, which is measured by a grading system. As outlined by livestrong.com, a Grade 1 sprain typically refers to an overstretched ligament, a Grade 2 sprain is a partial tear with mild instability of the joint, and a Grade 3 is a severe or complete tear with significant instability of the joint.

 

Another notable position player, Albert Pujols, had a sprained UCL in April 2003, and not only did not have surgery, but played some outfield, with instructions from manager Tony La Russa to flip the ball lightly either to the shortstop or center fielder.

 

"If it doesn't work, if something goes wrong, I'll quit," La Russa said at the time. "You won't have to fire me."

 

Pujols played the entire season, batting .359 with 43 home runs. He later had surgery on the elbow in both 2008 and 2009.

 

Crawford had been limited to serving as DH in extended spring training games, hitting a home run earlier this week. But the Sox statement indicated that will cease as well.

 

Crawford, who signed a seven-year, $142 million contract with the Red Sox after the 2010 season, struggled mightily in his first season in Boston, batting a career-low .255, with a .289 on-base percentage that was the lowest of any Red Sox left fielder ever (minimum 300 plate appearances).

 

He underwent surgery on his wrist early in January, then came to camp expressing hopes of being ready for the season opener, though the Red Sox thought May 1 was more realistic. But Crawford suffered a setback after engaging in bunting drills, and both the player and team refrained from making any further projections.

 

On Thursday, Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis said, "It stinks. We hope he gets healthy as quick as possible because he's a great player. We hope he can be here to help us out."

 

With Jacoby Ellsbury incurring a partially dislocated shoulder in the home opener on April 13, the Red Sox had hoped that Crawford's return would come in the near future.

 

Now it's possible that Ellsbury, who is expected to miss at least six weeks, could return before Crawford.

 

[a700hitter]

Another notable position player, Albert Pujols, had a sprained UCL in April 2003, and not only did not have surgery, but played some outfield, with instructions from manager Tony La Russa to flip the ball lightly either to the shortstop or center fielder.

 

"If it doesn't work, if something goes wrong, I'll quit," La Russa said at the time. "You won't have to fire me."

^ Why isn't this an option to get him on the field now. The throw from LF is nothing. He could toss it back in a couple of times a game.

[SoxSport]

Having both Crawford and Ellsbury down for extended time is an unmitigated disaster. They are lucky Epstein gave them Byrd for almost nothing. Though you wonder if Bowden is better than some of the bullpen stiffs they have right now. He wasn't given much of a shot.

[SoxSport]

^ Why isn't this an option to get him on the field now. The throw from LF is nothing. He could toss it back in a couple of times a game.

 

They just don't think that way. They put guys with bad breath on the DL.

[SoxSport]

Re Tazawa, who looks better than ever after his surgery.

 

With a big lead the other night Tazawa gets to pitch the last 3 innings and gets a save.

 

In a close game with a save situation, the manager yanks him after 2 innings and puts in his closer.

If the closer shits the bed, the team loses the game. That's called an unforced error, which is common in baseball these days. The closer has to get his save, or his agent will complain.

 

Right now, Tazawa looks like the best pitcher in the bullpen. Who else do they have in Pawtucket? Cook, for sure. Ohlendorf, too.

[Laser Show]

Re Tazawa, who looks better than ever after his surgery.

 

With a big lead the other night Tazawa gets to pitch the last 3 innings and gets a save.

 

In a close game with a save situation, the manager yanks him after 2 innings and puts in his closer.

If the closer shits the bed, the team loses the game. That's called an unforced error, which is common in baseball these days. The closer has to get his save, or his agent will complain.

 

Right now, Tazawa looks like the best pitcher in the bullpen. Who else do they have in Pawtucket? Cook, for sure. Ohlendorf, too.

 

Tazawa had everything working for him last night. Great delivery and great movement. Do you think he can handle the closer role short term? Aceves needs to get back to his 2011 role.

[a700hitter]

They just don't think that way. They put guys with bad breath on the DL.

If Pujols could play with it, Crawford can. If it doesn't interfere with his hitting, he should be playing.