Apr/20/08 11:48 AM Filed in:
Alex Cora
BOSTON -- Considering his
value over the past two seasons as the club's most
versatile infielder, the Red Sox are not taking
any chances with Alex Cora's right elbow.
Boston is shutting down the infielder and keeping him
from throwing a baseball following an MRI on Thursday.
"We've already spoken with [doctors] and trainers," Red
Sox manager Terry Francona said. "In layman's language,
we're going to slow him down until he's completely
pain-free, whether that's three days, seven days, 10
days, that's up to how he feels. Then we'll get him
back to baseball."
"I think we've got to shut it down for a little bit and
map a plan," Cora said. "That's why we have to meet
with everybody. Map out a plan and go from there."
As for the MRI, it was Cora's second one in as many
weeks since he went on the disabled list on April 10
with a sprained right elbow.
"There was nothing seen in the MRI that is alarming,"
Francona said. "It confirmed what our trainers thought
and our doctors thought. But we do want him to stop the
throwing until he's pain-free. They do certain
movements -- certain actions where they can replicate
that pain -- and they want that to go away before he
does baseball activities."
"The first one didn't work out too good, so I had to do
it again [on Thursday]," Cora explained.
Cora has managed to keep his sense of humor while
rehabbing the elbow, which he injured while making a
throw across to first base while taking ground balls
prior to the April 10 game against the Tigers.
"It feels the same," Cora said. "The only movement with
the arm was with the [TV] remote, watching these clowns
play, watching Sean Casey, a professional athlete with
no balance."
But that doesn't mean Cora isn't frustrated watching
from the bench, unable to contribute.
"I don't know how big a deal," Cora said of the
severity of his injury. "I thought it was something
that was a few days and now it looks like weeks now.
It's been a week already, and it's going to take
another week."
(mlb.com)