Report: Mike Lowell May Need Thumb Surgery

by Michael Hurley on Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 11:21AM

A report on Sunday that said the Rangers were looking into the status of Mike Lowell's thumb became a bit clearer on Monday, as NESN's Peter Gammons reported via his Twitter page that the veteran third baseman's digit may require surgery.

"Mike Lowell may require thumb surgery because of years of ever playing hard and diving for balls," Gammons wrote, adding that Lowell "doesn't deserve it."

That would cause a major snag for the Red Sox and Rangers, who reportedly agreed in principle to a trade that would send Lowell to Texas in exchange for Max Ramirez. Lowell never fully recovered from offseason hip surgery last year, and the Rangers probably wouldn't want to wait around for Lowell to battle back from yet another surgery in 2010.

According to reports, the Rangers were not concerned with the status of Lowell's hip. ESPN.com reported that Lowell is expected to undergo a physical for the Rangers this week.