J.D. Drew to Boston for back injection
by Randy Booth on Mar 4, 2009 7:36 PM EST
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PrintThe Red Sox really don't need this one bit:
Despite the protestations of both J.D. Drew and manager Terry Francona earlier in camp that the outfielder's back was not an issue, Drew was sent back to Boston to get an injection in his lower back. The injection, administered by Dr. Bill Palmer, was given yesterday.
"The reason we did it was kind of -- I want to explain this right -- kind of precautionary," Francona said. "We have some time right now because it's so early in March, and J.D., through getting looked at by some different people, thought this could be a benefit to him. If it worked, we think we thought OK, good. If it didn't seem to do anything, OK, well it's March 3 or March 2.
"I just think we kind of did to, if we run into a problem later this year, maybe we know a little bit quicker where to go."
It's always a bad sign when your starting right fielder is already hurt heading into a season. The back stiffness early in the offseason wasn't anything big, according to Francona & Co., but why wasn't Drew healthy over the offseason? How long does it take to get over back stiffness? There is a bigger issue here that either A) no one knows about or B) no one is telling us.
Colored me concerned about Drew.
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When has Drew ever been healthy?
In ten major league seasons, he’s played 140 games only three times, one of them his first season in Boston, when he played hurt and distracted for much of the year. And I’m not
Let’s face it, the guy has HOF talent but a geriatric body, and I’m not sure he ever really had the desire to be a great player.
I fully agree!
He likes the money, but is NOT commited to earning it by deed.
by NG on Mar 5, 2009 9:38 AM EST up reply actions
Is it his fault?
We offered him the money, fully aware that he misses a lot of games. He obviously took the money, like any other person would do. The fact that he is now injured should surprise no one. We spent $14mil per year on a guy that is constantly hurt. Theo knew what he was getting. A great player, but one who only plays 120 games per year.
Implications of a slippery slope!
If this assumption by management was true, I could respect it if the reasons for the 120 games per year limitation were clear and stable. However, a man Drew’s age should not have such non-progressive problems that disable him so. Therefore the real question must be, just why is he so limited, and if it is a real physical problem, wouldn’t PRUDENT management have suspected that it would keep getting worse, thus quickly further limiting his play and value?? So yes, this entire line of questioning is more about management’s oversight and bad judgment than about Drew, EXCEPT THAT if there is nothing really physically wrong with Drew, then my initial statements about money and commitment stand.
by NG on Mar 5, 2009 10:45 AM EST up reply actions
I also wonder if it is oversight.
or did Sox management count on only 100-140 games per year from Drew? Last year when he performed pretty close to his career averages, though for only 109 games, he was worth the money at 4 WAR. When you take into account that the Sox have better than a replacement level player to fill the rest of those games, he is probably worth even more. It would not surprise me if this was Theo’s plan.
JD Drew has averaged less than 120 games per year for his entire career; and his time in Boston has actually raised that average. Unfortunately this is who he is; and I’m sure Theo knew exactly what he was getting himself into.
by BTLove on Mar 5, 2009 11:45 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Agree wholeheartedly
The front office does its homework.
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
I think
that we are only allowed to opt-out if he misses time due to shoulder problems, or if he suffers an injury that will cause him to miss the start of the 2010 season. He is currently dealing with back problems.
I don’t see this as a big deal. We already know it’s pretty likely Drew is going to miss 30 or so games. We have a glut of quality outfielders in preparation for that. It seems when Drew is in the lineup, he’s good (or at least gets on base and puts up great ABs). If Lowell and Papi are healthy, they’ll make up for any lost production from Drew. I’m more worried about them playing hurt as they did last year.
The big deal
Isn’t how many games Drew will play. It’s how healthy he’ll be when he plays. Back injuries are tricky, and often linger and can end careers.
As for the “glut” of OFs. You don’t know what you’re going to get from Baldelli. Kotsay is hurt and the other alternatives aren’t good. Drew was my biggest worry going into the season. If can’t play, Theo may have to make a trade.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Mar 4, 2009 9:33 PM EST up reply actions
I mentioned this in my post, but even when Drew is seemingly “playing hurt” he puts up a solid OBP and plays good defense. He seems pretty quick to pull himself out of the lineup if it seems he can’t perform well. Unlike Lowell who couldn’t put his pants on, still took the field and arguably hurt the team.
Drew only played 109 games last year
That’s 9 more than Manny played for the Sox in 2008. In the second-half last year Drew hit .211 AVG/.395 OBP/.356 SLG (.751 OPS). While the OBP is nice, a .751 OPS for a corner OF is awful. Drew’s second-half OBP was walk heavy (27 BB, 1 HBP v. 19 H). Drew’s ailing back could (and probably will) affect his defense. RF in Fenway is huge and he’ll have to cover a lot of ground.
Unlike Drew, Lowell had surgery. The only questions about Mikey are how long it will take him to get into game shape. Papi’s injury was less severe and didn’t require surgery. Players have come back strong from the kind of wrist injuries Ortiz had. Mike Lowell’s injury shouldn’t hamper his blazing speed, such a huge part of his game.
Drew’s injury, in contrast, could be lingering and career threatening. He is the Sox’ biggest question mark, and they really don’t have an adequate replacement for him. Penny may be a bust. But the Sox have Smoltz, Buchholz, Masterson, or Bowden to slot into the #5 spot. And, they won’t need a #5 starter until mid-April.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Mar 5, 2009 2:05 PM EST up reply actions
JD Drew had a mediocre second half, but he had a great first half. By any measure he was an extremely important part of the team last year and we will need him this year. But as I said above, I don’t think anyone in Sox management has ever expected him to play a full season. If we can get 120 games played at last year’s level, we should be very happy. If the back is so bad that he can’t play at all, I think we will know that pretty soon and make some kind of trade (unless Rocco overcomes the whole mitochondrial thing.)
Wait, what?
We traded J.D. Drew to Boston, and all we got was a back injection? I’d expect at least a massage or a CAT scan. Worst trade ever.
"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
by 0157H7 on Mar 4, 2009 10:06 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
That was good!
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
by sox-inda-south on Mar 5, 2009 5:43 AM EST up reply actions
I hope Baldelli is ready to play
I personally want to see him have a season to warrant his first round status if J.D. goes down.
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
Not too worried
Like RSNexile said, he has been hurt all his career. I expect him to be hurt every year at this point. Even with him being hurt his career OBP and SLG are .392 and .502 respectivly. He is going to be hurt every year but when he isn’t he is going to play and mash. I am not surprised he has back problems, have you seen his batting stance. He looks more crunched up then a Volkswagen after it hit an 18 wheeler.
We have atleast league average backups which is better then most teams with Balldelli, Kotsay, Wilkerson, Bailey. We have minor leaguers that could fit in nicely with Ambres, Reddick, Van Every, and Bell. With the amount of depth we have at OF Tito has to have faith in one of them stepping up to the challenge.
Disagree
Drew has never had back problems before. Reports are that he has a herniated disc. If true, it could greatly hamper his ability to put up numbers approaching his career norms. In other words, even if he plays 100+ games, Drew’s production (especially power) and defense might suffer.
If Drew can’t play, Baldelli will have to play more. No one knows how many games Rocco will be able to play. Kotsay, the other possibility, is injured right now. The other “in-house” choices are minor leaguers and below average players with major league experience.
RF in Fenway is not an easy position to play. Drew was well above average at his position last year. He won’t be easy to replace—and the in-house options are not too appealing. The Sox may need to trade for an OF.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Mar 5, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
Not that I don't believe you,
But what metric or system are you looking at when you say Drew “was well above average” at RF?
"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.
You beat me to it
I was just about to post the same thing. :-)
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Mar 5, 2009 6:03 PM EST up reply actions
Evaluation of Back Problem
While searching the Red Sox website I found this link
In it Drew talks about what is wrong with his back. “[I’ve] been working with a chiropractor and started talking about some of the underlying issues, and thinking that the facets might be a little bound up.”
“So [after] talking with the training staff a little bit, [we] decided to do an injection in that area to see if that would free up some of the old scar tissue, an old injury, and give me some freer motion in that area.”
He also talks about the treatment he recieved. “Just basically, it’s called a ‘facet block,’ it has a little cortisone in it,” Drew said. “[I] had an epidural last year a couple of times, and neither one of them really seemed to take good effect. [They] maybe helped a little bit, but not a whole lot. After talking with some folks and the chiropractor, they thought this one might help free me up a little bit.”
Now as most of you know back problems are tricky things, sometimes time to heal is not going to heal the problem. I suffer from back problems that made me stop baseball in high school, I tried my hardest to keep stretching and keep heat on the area to try and loosen up the muscles. Sometimes there isn’t anything you can do. This sounds like the case with Drew.
Doesn't Drew have to play X amount of games this year for his contract to continue?
I thought I remember something like that…
Manny ain't the only bad man.
Not quite
I believe the clause was that if he went on the DL for anything related to his preexisting shoulder condition, the Sox could void the last two years of the deal.
His back injury may or may not be related to the shoulder. If it isn’t, Drew could miss every single game and the Sox wouldn’t be able to void his contract over it.
Per Cot's:
- Boston may opt out of either of final 2 seasons if Drew:
* spends 35 days on the disabled list in either 2009 or 2010 with injury related to pre-existing right shoulder condition, or
* finishes 2009 or 2010 season on the disabled list and cannot play outfield the following season
The second clause is the one that could apply this year if the back truly goes to hell.
He’d have to be unable to play the outfield in ‘10. There’s no opt-out during the 2009 season.
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
Addendum
You’d have to imagine that would be a legal fracas.
"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.
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