Every offseason in Boston is filled with debates over whether the Red Sox made the right moves or not. This past winter was dominated by the talk of Mike Cameron joining the team and pushing Jacoby Ellsbury from center field to left.
What a waste of time, huh?
Ellsbury and Cameron, who were both placed on the disabled list for the first time on the same day back in April, were effectively shut down on the same day in August. Ellsbury confirmed Wednesday that he has a broken rib for the third time this season and Cameron has elected for season-ending surgery to repair an abdominal tear.
There is a miniscule chance that Ellsbury could return by the end of the year, but he is looking at a 4-6 weeks minimum to recover.
"We’re going to have to get a break here," manager Terry Francona said.
Pardon the pun.
"I don’t think anybody will write off the season [for Ellsbury] but we’ve got to be prepared for that," Francona added. "If something good happens, good, but right now our main focus is to get this kid healed."
There may be a positive to the otherwise negative news.
What the skipper has, in all likelihood, is a bit of finality to a pair of situations that have created a constant flux in the Red Sox' outfield. While Francona lauded the pair for doing all they could to contribute to the club, he also can begin to look past a combo that hit .235 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and 34 runs scored in 64 games, not the production the club was hoping for when it made the controversial outfield alteration in the offseason.
As was the case when Kevin Youkilis was lost for the year due to thumb surgery earlier this month, there is a sense that not much can be done but let the injured players heal and go with the hand you are dealt. At the very least Francona might not have to worry about that hand being altered again. There will not be any waiting around anymore.
Francona's hand might be a pretty good one anyway, as evidenced by Boston’s 6-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the game before Ellsbury and Cameron were, for all intents and purposes, written off for 2010.
Rookie Ryan Kalish, in his second career start in center field, hit a Jered Weaver changeup for a grand slam and his first Fenway Park home run. Darnell McDonald slugged his second home run in as many games to start the scoring. In addition, Wednesday’s left fielder, starting alongside the aforementioned Pawtucket imports, is Bill Hall, who hit .345 (10-for-29) with three home runs and seven RBIs in the last nine games of the Red Sox' recent road trip.
"We have Mac, and [Eric] Patterson coming back and we’re all pretty excited about Kalish," Francona said.
Ellsbury met very briefly with reporters Wednesday but walked away in less than 20 seconds, clearly frustrated by the situation and having to go through a similar round of questioning for the third time.
He said he is not sure when he will be back but seemed to indicate that he has already begun to look toward 2011.
"Basically, when I do come back, I'll be stronger than ever," said Ellsbury, who simply cannot be stronger than ever if he races back in late-September after his third DL stint of the year.
Cameron, 37, was hopeful that rest and recovery would give him a chance to overcome the abdominal issues that have dogged him since spring training. He, too, has started to look to next year. Waiting any longer before going under the knife might’ve affected his future as much as anything.
"We had gotten to the point with Cam where going farther was going to bite into a chunk of next year," Francona said. "He tried his best. It was getting really hard for him."
There will be updates on the two injured outfielders going forward. Francona will let us know if and when Ellsbury is no longer an option for 2010. He will update us on how Cameron gets through surgery. What he will not have to do, barring an Ellsbury miracle, is wait on the pair to contribute on the field during the stretch run.
