Carl Crawford Scheduled For Tommy John Surgery

There was previously some question as to when Crawford would have the surgery, but he reportedly wanted to undergo the surgery immediately to be ready for the start of next season, while the Red Sox wanted to delay surgery until after the season. The two sides were scheduled to meet Monday to make a final decision. Below is the official statement from the team following that meeting.

Crawford, who has played in just 31 games this season, was hitting .282 with three home runs and 19 RBI in his second season with the Red Sox.

Carl Crawford will ask the Boston Red Sox for permission to get Tommy John surgery on his injured elbow, reports Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

As SBN Baseball previously reported back in mid-July, Crawford was already feeling as though Tommy John surgery was a good option for the issue that’s plagued him the entire season. He began the season on the DL due to wrist surgery, and returned to the team with the intention of making any contribution he could. Crawford has gotten his batting average up to .287 in 29 games since returning on July 16.

Carl Crawford missed the first half with a myriad of problems, including elbow, wrist, and groin issues. The elbow is the most serious, as Crawford will likely need Tommy John surgery after the season. He indicated that the elbow could “pop” at any time, which can’t be an especially reassuring feeling.

But Crawford is coming back on Monday, joining a cavalcade of familiar faces, like Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis in a Fenway return.

He’s been battling various injuries, including a strained groin during his current rehab assignment ... and now says he might need Tommy John surgery on the elbow problem that’s kept him out all year. Maureen Mullen:

“Probably at some point, because it’s one of those deals. It is what it is,” Crawford said. “So probably at some point it’s going to go out on me.”

Asked if he had thought about having surgery before the elbow goes out, Crawford replied:

“Thought about it but at this point if I can play, I think they want me out on the field. So I’m just trying to do everything I can to get back on the field.”

The Red Sox decided to reset his rehab clock, which means he won’t be able to appear in a game for five days, then will have another 20 to try to get back to the majors, according to MLB.com. What might be most concerning for Sox fans is Crawford’s elbow still isn’t completely healed.

For more on the Red Sox, go to Over the Monster and SB Nation Boston.

Carl Crawford earned $20 million last season and, let’s be honest for a moment, was terrible.

Crawford’s been out all month with an amorphous elbow injury, but it’s amorphous no more:

Which is what makes his lingering elbow injury that much more frustrating. There might not be a player in the game who would have benefitted from a clean start more than Crawford. Even worse, it’s an injury that’s hard to pin down and create exact timetables for.

But he’s making progress:

The rough year was probably caused, at least in part, by a wrist injury for which he had arthroscopic surgery in January. Now, after a couple of setbacks, Crawford and the Red Sox are admitting the Red Sox outfielder won’t be ready for Opening Day:

Crawford will open the season on the disabled list and is expected to continue his rehab in Fort Myers when the Sox head north next week. Though [manager Bobby] Valentine wouldn’t nail down a timetable, it seems like late April is the earliest possible date Crawford could return to the lineup.These things always take longer than you think they will, or than any team official says they will. So if Valentine says “late April”, you can probably start thinking “sometime in May, maybe”.