Jacoby Ellsbury went a long way toward silencing any skepticism about his toughness by playing in seven games between the time he fouled a ball off his right foot on Aug. 28 and the time he was diagnosed with a compression fracture of the navicular bone. But by playing in those games, did Ellsbury actually make matters worse?
Apparently not.
According to the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber, doctors in Boston and Denver — who administered tests over the weekend — believe that Ellsbury “could not have damaged the bone further nor will he” once he returns.
Ellsbury re-aggravated the foot injury that he originally sustained on Aug. 28 while stealing second base in the 10th inning of the Red Sox’ game against the Yankees on Sept. 5. He didn’t respond well to treatment, so he was sent back to Boston for an MRI. The MRI revealed swelling and inflammation, and Ellsbury flew to Denver for a second opinion, which confirmed the official diagnosis of a compression fracture.
There is currently no timetable for Ellsbury’s return, but both John Farrell and Ellsbury’s agent, Scott Boras, have said that they expect the 30-year-old to return before the end of the regular season.
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