Red Sox Closer Andrew Bailey Needs Surgery
By John Green
When the Red Sox aquired young closer Andrew Bailey from the Oakland A’s the thought was -if he was healthy-he could be a sufficient replacement for Jonathan Papelbon. Yesterday the Sox got the news no team wants to hear just 3 days away from the season opener in Detroit, their closer needs surgery.
Bobby Valentine first hinted at an injury situation on Sunday when he announced that Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard would fill out the last two spots in the rotation but hinting was as far as he would go.
On Monday the worst case scenario became reality when Bailey was examined by Red Sox team doctors and it was determined that he will need surgery to correct the problem. Bailey will now see Dr. Robert Graham in Cleveland today for a second opinion, if Dr. Graham agrees, the surgery could come as soon as this afternoon.
In a Red Sox bullpen that’s already lacking firepower, this is a significant blow.
Bobby V will likely turn to Mark Melancon and Alfredo Aceves in the late innings but will that alignment work? If it doesn’t, there’s a good chance we see Daniel Bard back in the ‘pen before the end of April with Aaron Cook a possibility to slide into the rotation.
Bobby Valentine said he “fully expects Josh Beckett (right thumb) To make his scheduled start on Saturday, which will be a big factor in how the Red Sox pitching staff is aligned on Thursday in Detroit.
Either way, the injuries this early are discouraging. Fresh off a nightmarish collapse that revolved around inadequate pitching, I’m worried. If the Red Sox can’t find a way to keep their pitchers on the mound we could be looking at a fourth place team in the AL East.
For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS feed.