It was reported on Thursday that Boston Red Sox star pitcher David Price was flying to the NFL Combine to get his sore left elbow looked at by Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Startling news from Red Sox: David Price has elbow soreness. MRI results not in yet but Farrell concerned, expects Price to see Dr Andrews.
— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) March 2, 2017
That David Price is headed to the combine to see Drs. Andrews and ElAttrache certainly suggests this is not a routine issue.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 2, 2017
When you hear that a pitcher is seeing these well-known orthopedic surgeons, you immediately fear Tommy John Surgery or at least some sort of elbow diagnosis that isn’t just a day-to-day — or even week-to-week — thing. Especially when we’re talking about Price flying to the Combine to see these busy doctors. This was clearly a serious concern for the Red Sox.
So the news Boston got on Friday regarding Price’s diagnosis really is “best-case scenario” news as Red Sox manager John Farrell put it.
Price will not need elbow surgery and is only expected to be shut down 7-10 days:
Breaking: No surgery for #RedSox LHP David Price. Rest and medication. Farrell calls it best case scenario. 7-10 days off for him.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 3, 2017
Here is what #RedSox manager John Farrell said about David Price: pic.twitter.com/LpLFOPdwSz
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 3, 2017
It’s a huge, huge sigh of relief for Boston and their fan base, and keeps the Red Sox as the team to beat in the American League. FanGraphs’ Craig Edwards wrote an article on Thursday night about what losing Price — projected for a 4.7 WAR — would’ve meant for Boston’s AL East chances this season:
Where the Red Sox were once clear favorites, the division could now be a toss-up. Boston was projected for 93 wins before the Price news, seven games clear of the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, the teams will be within a few games of each other. The Red Sox were able to avoid the Wild Card last year and looked to be in great position to do so again this year. If the team lacks a healthy David Price, though, that task will be a whole lot tougher.
It’s really not too much of an exaggeration to say that an elbow diagnosis in March could end up being season-saving news for the 2017 Boston Red Sox.