It’s better to be safe than sorry.
It’s the approach that every major league team has when it comes to players getting banged up during spring training, and it’s exactly why the Red Sox opted to remove Jacoby Ellsbury from Sunday’s game against the Phillies.
Ellsbury, who rolled his ankle while retreating to first base on a pickoff attempt, was taken out in the second inning before what would have been his second at-bat. The team described Ellsbury’s injury as a jammed heel, but the center fielder doesn’t seem too concerned, which is certainly good news for the Red Sox.
“I just stepped on the base and kind of rolled my ankle a little bit,” Ellsbury told reporters in Clearwater. “It just got a little tight, but it’s nothing of a concern. … The way I feel, I feel good about it.”
Manager John Farrell also downplayed the severity of the ailment following Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Phillies. The Red Sox will play the Orioles in Sarasota on Monday, before then having an off-day on Tuesday, and Farrell doesn’t expect Ellsbury’s injury to linger.
“We took him out precautionarily, but with the jammed right heel, we’ll evaluate him in the morning,” Farrell told reporters. “Hopefully this is nothing more than we get through the off-day on Tuesday. We’re cautiously optimistic he’d be back in the lineup once we get past the off-day.”
Ellsbury was thrown out trying to steal second base after suffering the injury, and he then played in the field during the bottom half of the first inning. Ellsbury was replaced in the lineup by Bryce Brentz, who played right field while Shane Victorino moved to center field.
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