Red Sox manager Terry Francona confirmed that starter Daisuke Matsuzaka will be seeing Dr. Lewis Yocum later this month for a second opinion on his injured right elbow, but shot down rumors that the right-hander is facing Tommy John surgery.
"He has an appointment to go see Dr. Yocum at the end of the month, and in the meantime, we gave him permission to go home to Japan for personal reasons. He's not having Tommy John," Francona said.
"It's a shame we have to deal with reports like that because it's probably not real professional. Dice has been really good with us, communicating with us, so he's going to go visit his family and then on the way back he'll see Dr. Yocum."
Matsuzaka was diagnosed with a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament and placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. He is scheduled to be re-examined by team doctors after a two-week period, at which point a long-term assessment can be given.
Matsuzaka said at the time that he had no concerns about needing surgery on the elbow. The 30-year-old is 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA this year.
