Stephen Drew Cleared to Resume Baseball Activities

Stephen Drew has weathered a lot of bad news over the past year and a half. When he was an Arizona Diamondback, Drew suffered a gruesome ankle injury in a collision at home plate on July 20, 2011. The YouTube videos graphically depicted an eye-averting Joe Theisman/Buster Posey moment. When he was carried off the field with his foot at the most awkward of angles and obviously in great pain his teammates knew it was going to be a long road back for him.

Mar 7, 2013; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop

(7) stands near second base during a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox at Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Drew had surgery on the ankle and labored through a difficult rehab only to have the D’Backs give up on him and send him to Oakland on August 21 last season. His signing with the Red Sox felt like a new beginning; a chance for him to return to form and health.

On March 7th Drew was hit in the head and started experiencing concussion symptoms. The affects of the injury lingered to the point where Drew and the Red Sox sought a concussion specialist’s opinion after Drew was not only unable to return to the lineup but also baseball activities in general. Today Drew got some good news.

Dr. Michael Collins, a concussion specialist at the University of Pittsburgh, cleared Drew to resume some limited baseball activities. The Major League baseball program that concussion athletes return to generally consists of stretching, the start of a throwing program and hitting in a cage. If this regimen is successful, defined as player not experiencing a recurrence of concussion symptoms, they can return to the field. For Drew that will not include an opening day start.

The Red Sox are expected to keep Drew out of any further Grapefruit League play since doing so will preserve their option of backdating his tenure on the disabled list so that he can be activated as early as possible. If he opens the year on the seven-day DL mandated for players who incur concussions, Drew’s time on the sidelines would have to be at least three days.

Don’t let yourself go 
Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes
– Everybody Hurts, R.E.M.

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