Allen Craig Injury: Updates on Red Sox OF's Ankle and Return

Updates from Thursday, Aug. 21

WEEI.com's Alex Speier provides an update on Allen Craig:

The Red Sox confirmed who was sent down with Craig officially back in the lineup:

Nick Canelas of WEEI.com indicates Craig wasn't expecting to hear he may need surgery:

"

Craig seemed surprised by the suggestion that he might require surgery.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it,” Craig said about the possibility of an offseason procedure.

Craig said that there was never a conversation when he incurred the injury about whether to fix the Lisfranc issue with rest or surgery.

“Clearly a rehab,” Craig said of the diagnosis at the time.

 

"

Updates from Sunday, Aug. 10

Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe provides a statement from Red Sox manager John Farrell discussing Allen Craig's recovery on Friday:

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We’re taking every step to ramp up his baseball activities and get him back on the field as soon as possible.

The Lisfranc injury, that was still seen in the MRI that was done,” Farrell said. “But don’t feel that there were any chronic changes to what was viewed last year. Our approach is to get him playing and we’ll see if there’s adverse effect to more aggressive play.

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Abraham also reports when fans could expect Craig to rejoin the Red Sox:

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Craig is scheduled to rejoin the team on Saturday and will start a rehabilitation program immediately. His symptoms have subsided significantly since the initial injury, but the Red Sox wanted to proceed cautiously given his history.

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Updates from Thursday, Aug. 7

Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald has the latest on Craig's injury:

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In making what amounted to the white flag-waving trade of pitcher John Lackey to the Cardinals last week, the Red Sox insist they didn’t spot any red flags when it came to the health of outfielder Allen Craig, the primary player they obtained in return.

“No, no red flags in the long term,” general manager Ben Cherington said before last night’s rain-delayed game here against the Cardinals. “We had access to everything (in terms of medical records). We didn’t have any concern about whether this was a long-term risk.”

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General manager Ben Cherington also commented on the injury, according to Lauber:

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The Red Sox administered an MRI last weekend and will send Craig to see North Carolina-based specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, who treated his injury last year. But Cherington said those measures are mostly a precaution given Craig’s recent history and added that the club’s “long-term prognosis is very good” that the 30-year-old outfielder will return to the lineup this season.

“Because of what he went through last year, we’re trying to be extra cautious,” Cherington said. “There’s no concern about whether he’s going to be OK to play and feel good and be completely healthy. It’s just a question of making sure that we’re not putting him in a position where he’s compromised and maybe is at risk of doing something else by making up for what’s going on in his foot. We just want to make sure we get it right.”

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Updates from Wednesday, Aug. 6

Allen Craig and Red Sox manager John Farrell spoke about the outfielder's ankle injury and recovery (via Rob Rains of ESPN):

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"He reached for the bag and turned his ankle," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We want to get as much information as possible to be clear that there is no correlation between this injury and the old one. We are still in a fact-finding stage now."

(...)

"It's extremely disappointing," he said. "I want to go out there and play ball. That's what I do, and that's what I'm good at ... but on the other side of it, I've got to be smart and get myself right. Sometimes things don't go as you want them to."

"

Original Text

Allen Craig was acquired by the Boston Red Sox prior to the trade deadline, but a bum ankle has limited him to just one game with his new team. It turns out the severity of the injury is enough to keep the outfielder out for a lot longer. 

According to MLB writer Maureen Mullen, Craig will be placed on the 15-day disabled list because of his faulty ankle:

Alex Speier of WEEI.com confirmed the report, citing a Red Sox team source and adding some additional insight into Craig's injury:

"

Craig is heading to the disabled list due to an ankle injury, according to a Red Sox team source. Craig went 1-for-4 with a double in his Sox debut on Friday, but in his final at-bat, he tweaked his ankle while crossing first base while running out a grounder.

...

Craig missed considerable time last year due to a Lisfranc fracture in his foot. On Sunday, Sox manager Johnsaid that the Red Sox were trying to discern if there was any connection between last year’s injury and this one.

"

Despite a rough 2014 season that has seen Craig hit .237/.291/.348 in 98 games, Marc Normandin of OverTheMonster.com did note that this could just end up as a blip on the radar when we look back on his career:

Keep in mind that Craig was one of the best pure hitters in the National League from 2011-13, when he hit .312/.364/.500 with 46 home runs. He just turned 30 July 18 and is signed to a very reasonable deal that pays him $25.5 million from 2015-17. 

The Red Sox can take a cautious approach with Craig this season since they aren't going to the playoffs, let him get healthy and hope that 2015 sees a return to form for the former NL All-Star. 

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