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After a trade deadline relatively light on trade news, the Sox have released a flood of injury news, none of it particularly good.
Let's start with the worst--at least compared to what was already known: Scott Atchison, missing since July 13 with forearm tightness, might now be in need of Tommy John Surgery. After the earlier news that Atchison's rehab process had endured a setback after waking up in pain following an inning of work Friday, Bobby Valentine has revealed that the reliever has a UCL injury, and depending on the results from a second opinion, could well be in need of Tommy John Surgery.
Any such procedure would not simply end Atchison's season, but also likely keep him out for much of if not all of the 2013 season. If that ends up being the case, it will be a real shame given how impressive he'd been for the Red Sox so far this season.
Mike Aviles, who has missed the last few games in lieu of Pedro Ciriaco, has received an injection for pain caused by his turf toe. That the procedure was carried out only after an MRI suggests that the situation isn't too serious, and that the shortstop will be back before too long. Given how well Pedro Ciriaco has performed, however, Sox fans might not mind if he missed a few more games here-and-there.
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Ryan Sweeney's door-inflicted injury, meanwhile, actually required the outfielder to receive surgery on his pinky finger earlier today--an operation which will likely keep him out for the rest of the season.
That may sound like a big deal, but remember, we'd already heard news earlier today that Ryan Sweeney would be out for around eight weeks, which takes us right to the end of the season anyways. Taking it to the end of the season is only another week or two tacked on to the end.
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Finally, a bit of non-injury news, as Clayton Mortensen is back with the Red Sox according to Alex Speier. The question will be where they'll fit him in. If this is just to tide them over until Craig Breslow physically arrives, as Speier suggests, then it's possible they'll simply delay calling up Ryan Kalish until tomorrow, playing with just the four outfielders as Ryan Sweeney goes on the DL.