Mike Lowell's comeback bid begins now.
The Red Sox third baseman — who was almost traded to Texas this month until a torn ligament in his thumb was discovered — had surgery on Wednesday to repair the radial collateral ligament, according to ESPN.com. The surgery was performed in Phoenix by Dr. Donald Sheridan.
Lowell is expected to recover within six to eight weeks and he should be ready when full spring training workouts begin on Feb. 24.
The 35-year-old third baseman was almost swapped for Texas catcher Max Ramirez before a hand specialist discovered a 95 percent tear in his thumb ligament. Even after Lowell recovers, his future in Boston is still uncertain, as the Red Sox have hinted that they will likely still pursue a trade.
Lowell's time in Boston has recently been plagued by injuries. He missed much of the 2008 season with thumb, hip and oblique injuries and underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in the ensuing offseason. He still managed to hit .290 with 17 homers and 75 RBIs in 119 games in 2009.
Lowell is owed $12 milliion in 2010.
