Boston Red Sox: David Price Not in Need of Elbow Surgery

According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox lefty David Price will not require surgery on his sore elbow.

On Thursday, David Price was scratched from his first Spring Training start for the Boston Red Sox with what was being called elbow soreness. He made a trip to Indianapolis to meet with elbow specialist Doctor James Andrews and received news on Friday that he was not expected to need surgery.

Price first experienced the soreness after throwing a simulated game on Tuesday but was lucky to find out that it was nothing more than that. As Abraham reported, Price will remain out of baseball activities for at least a week and will be on medication to eliminate the injury. Price himself tweeted that he was on his way back to the Fort to rejoin his teammates two hours before the news of his successful evaluation broke.

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A healthy Price in the rotation helps the Red Sox keep one of the best potential pitching staffs in baseball intact. Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, and Eduardo Rodriguez would still have remained among the best, but Price provides another star presence that Drew Pomeranz or Steven Wright would not have. Pomeranz was a disappointment after posting a 2.47 ERA in seventeen starts with the San Diego Padres and a 4.59 ERA after being traded to Boston.

Wright, one the few knuckleballers left in the majors, went 13-6 with a 3.33 ERA and made the All-Star team, but only made three starts after July due to an injury. Price had his share of issues in his first season in Boston, namely the thirty home runs and 227 hits he allowed. He did still pitch 230 innings and win seventeen games for the Red Sox. Price still has the talent to be an ace-level pitcher and can now relax a little with Porcello and Sale taking the pressure to be the ace off of his shoulders.

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Price still has a month to prepare before the regular season starts, but the Red Sox may hold him out of game action until they know for certain that his elbow is not a lingering concern. The good news is that simple soreness can be managed and Price will not have to miss the entire season.