In a news conference today with the Boston media on Tuesday afternoon, Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington revealed that starting left fielder Carl Crawford underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist.
According to Cherington, the decision for Crawford to have surgery on his wrist when he told complained of soreness during his offseason hitting routine in early January that impeded his ability to effectively swing the bat. Crawford decided to get an MRI on the wrist which showed damaged tissue. Once the decision was made, Crawford traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona where Dr. Donald Sheridan performed the wrist surgery earlier on Tuesday.
Crawford has battled wrist problems since 2007, but none more than he has at this point. Today's surgery marked only Crawford's second operation in his major league career. In 2008, he had surgery to repair a middle index finger on his right hand.
As for Crawford's possible return, no official timeline has been set, though there is optimism it will be sooner rather than later. According to Cherington, they expect him back in action "early in the season". Cherington would not rule out a return to action at some point in Spring Training and wouldn't rule out Crawford sitting part of the regular season out.
Either way, Crawford has a lot to make up for after 2011. In his inaugural season as a Red Sox, Crawford hit a career low .255 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI with just 18 stolen bases. Crawford signed a seven-year deal worth $142 million last offseason.
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