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Red Sox Cautious With Wrist Injuries to Will Middlebrooks, Daniel Nava After Carl Crawford Woes

Wrist issues have plagued Red Sox players this season.

In early August, the team placed Daniel Nava on the disabled
list with a sprained wrist. Nearly a week after, Red Sox third baseman Will
Middlebrooks broke his wrist when he was drilled by a fastball.

Middlebrooks was making strides toward recovery this week,
taking his first swings off a tee since the injury. He's able to start his rehab now thanks to the
rest he's had since getting placed on the disabled list last month.

"All the pain is gone, and the healing has occurred," Red
Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "There's still some stiffness, some
strength he has to build up."

The Red Sox have certainly proceeded with caution with Middlebrooks after a
nagging wrist injury forced former outfielder Carl Crawford, now with the Dodgers, to have surgery last offseason. At this point last year, the Red Sox
thought Crawford's wrist was just sore.

Rest is critical to the healing process for a wrist. Hitters
rely on their wrists constantly to make the most effective swings, and any pain usually requires a long
layoff for the area to completely heal.

Nava may have revved up his activity too quickly after
landing on the disabled list Aug. 1. After a brief time of rehab, Nava returned
to the team Aug. 21 and wound up back on the DL four days later.

"The backstory is he was feeling good in his rehab, but he
wasn't feeling great," Valentine said of Nava. "After his fourth game in
Triple-A, where I think he had three at-bats, in his third at-bat here, he felt
something. He thought it would go away, and it kept getting worse.

"He
knew we needed him, knew there wasn't much to do. He was trying to play through
it. Finally had the talk with him and told him he's got to take care of himself
before he can take care of the team."

That's the priority for the Red Sox with Middlebrooks and Nava moving forward.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is offering 100 healthy tips to celebrate Fenway Park's centennial. Visit 100pitches.org to learn more.