Victorino, Ellsbury Leave Game With Injuries
The Red Sox outfield suffered two early exits from Sunday’s game against the White Sox.
Aug 31, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino (18) runs to third base during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Shane Victorino left the game in the sixth inning with a hip contusion. Although it’s unclear just how Victorino did it, it was clear that the Red Sox outfielder, who has been dogged by nagging injuries all season, was not pleased. Victorino grounded out, took a few halting steps and then slammed his helmet down in frustration.
Victorino’s latest injury that has him listed as day-to-day is especially unfortunate since his play has been so strong of late. Victorino, who is batting .295 this season, has been hitting .435 with three homers and 10 RBI over the past week while continuing to play a solid right field. On Aug. 16, Victorino had to leave a game that caused him to sit out the next one with a sore hamstring. That was preceded by an aggravation of the injury on July 19, as well as a stint on the disabled list from May 21 through June 7.
“When he slid into first base [in the fourth], he re-aggravated it,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told mlb.com Ian Browne. “He’s got a contusion he’s dealing with and it begins to affect some of the other areas that he’s been managing for a while. We fully expect him to be on the field tomorrow but when he aggravates it, it begins to kind of shut some things down on him and he doesn’t feel the explosiveness.”
Aug 31, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (2) hits an RBI double during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jacoby Ellsbury also left Sunday’s contest after he aggravated a nagging left thumb injury. Farrell told ESPN’s Joe MacDonald, “Jacoby had a couple of at-bats where he got jammed, and that bat is kind of banging on that bone inside the thumb. We’re hopeful and expect him to be on the field as well tomorrow so we’ll check them both obviously in the morning.”
Ellsbury jammed his thumb on a swing Sunday and had some slight swelling after the game, the Boston Herald reports. The Red Sox expect Ellsbury to be in the lineup Monday against Detroit or their 1:35 start against Detroit as John Lackey (6-11, 3.19 ERA) squares of against the Tigers’ Doug Fister (11-7, 3.81 ERA).