Red Sox: Pablo Sandoval diagnosis delayed

Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval’s shoulder examination has been delayed due to soreness.

The Boston Red Sox will need to wait a bit longer than expected to find out what’s wrong with Pablo Sandoval‘s ailing shoulder.

The veteran third baseman traveled to Florida to get a second opinion from noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on the left shoulder injury that put him on the shelf last week, but manager John Farrell explained to reporters that there was too much swelling in Sandoval’s shoulder to complete a full examination.

Sandoval received a cortisone shot and will be re-examined in two weeks. In the meantime, he’s not expected to resume baseball activities until after Andrews determines if he needs surgery or not.

"“He had the exam (Monday) with Dr. Andrews,” Farrell said after a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. “He’s still very sore. To say that there was a full examination conducted, Dr. Andrews couldn’t get that (Monday) because of the soreness. He was given an injection to calm the inflammation down. At this point, he’ll be reexamined likely by Dr. Andrews in a couple weeks.”"

The move to put Sandoval on the disabled list was met with skepticism from many who believed the decision had more to do with his conditioning than an actual injury, but the issue may be more serious than initially believed if it warranted a trip to see Dr. Andrews. Nobody goes under the knife unless they have to.

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The cause of the injury remains a mystery. He has appeared in only three games this season, making one start, so there weren’t many opportunities for Sandoval to hurt himself on the field. He showed up one day complaining of shoulder soreness and the team’s immediate reaction was to put him on the DL with what they termed as a strain.

How did we get from referring to it as a relatively minor strain to suddenly considering surgery as an option? That’s like saying you burned the casserole in the oven, then later revealing that you actually burned the house down with it.

The extent of the injury will take a bit longer to confirm, but Red Sox fans aren’t in any hurry for Sandoval to get back. The veteran had already lost his starting third base gig to the rapidly rising Travis Shaw, who has been the team’s best hitter through the first dozen games. Shaw is hitting .342 with a home run and .984 OPS over 38 at-bats this season, while Sandoval has struck out four times in six at-bats without collecting a hit. Even if Sandoval were healthy, he’s not getting his starting role back anytime soon.

There was hope that the DL stint would afford Sandoval the opportunity to get in shape and recapture a portion of his former All-Star ability, which could allow him to contribute to this team at some point this season. Now we’re left to wonder if we’ll see him at all again in 2016.

Next: Bullpen meltdown as Sox lose to Jays

One thing is for certain – Sandoval’s non-existent trade value isn’t going to rise as long as he’s sidelined with an injury. If he is no longer in the team’s plans for the future, the Red Sox need him back on the field simply so that he can produce enough to entice another team to want him.

When Sandoval will return to action is anyone’s guess, but we should find out more in a couple weeks.