Do the Red Sox have another curse on their hands? Two separate Boston players have had bouts with cancer. David Ortiz had heart problems a few years ago.
This year, Boston has had injuries befall two, with another stricken with an illness.
Daisuke Matsuzaka has what could be termed the mildest injury of the three, with a sore back and stiff neck plaguing him. The injuries are enough to make him DL-bound. There are those out there frustrated with Dice, but I’m relieved. Why? Because he’s not hiding anything. Would you rather he tell the Red Sox too much or … like last year, too little?
Jed Lowrie also has mono. As Terry Francona quipped, they’ll make sure he doesn’t go around kissing anyone. It’s the latest in a string of injuries that have decimated a once-promising start to his career. The talent remains for him to overcome them, but the road to a starting job is much, much harder now. He’s certainly ticketed for Triple-A Pawtucket to get his feet under him and his bat some repetitions.
Then we come, of course, to Ryan Westmoreland and his cavernous malformation. Good news on that front, however: he’s moved out of ICU and is onto physical and occupational rehabilitation. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery.
Of course, the curse mentioned above was a flippant remark, but boy, Boston hasn’t just had injuries like any team has — either the injuries are strange or the circumstances are strange. Heck, Josh Beckett missing a spring training start due to an illness is a walk in the park compared to the other storylines.