Ribs haven't given any one person this much attention since Ron Burgundy's pre-taping lunch in Anchorman.
Red Sox outfielder and leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury will see Dr. Lewis Yocum, who is known as one of the most renowned sports orthopedists in the world, at the Kerlan-Jobe orthopaedic clinic in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning.
"[Ellsbury] came in and worked out today, [and] I think he has a 5 o'clock flight out to the West Coast," Red Sox manager Terry Francona told the media on Tuesday in Cleveland. "He'll be examined thoroughly. Whatever that entails, they have our blessing. We need to try to get as much information as we can."
Ellsbury injured his left ribs on April 11 when he collided with teammate Adrian Beltre in Kansas City. The outfielder was activated on May 22 and played in just three games before heading back to the DL.
Ellsbury will meet the team back in Boston when the Sox take on the Phillies in Game 1 of a three-game series, and is eligible to be activated on Saturday.
"I hope there isn't something new. I think they're just trying to get to the bottom [of it], or if nothing else, get an opinion that's completely removed from everyone that's around him," Francona said. "Hopefully we'll get some news, and they'll say, 'We know you feel this, we understand that, and you can build up and you're not going to hurt yourself.' But we don't know. That's why we're sending him. We just want to get as much information as we can."
