Ellsbury To Receive Second Opinion On Injured Foot

SUNDAY: Manager John Farrell told reporters, including the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, Ellsbury has a compression fracture and will return before the end of the season (Twitter link). Ellsbury will head back to Boston and wear a walking boot for five days, tweets Tim Britton of the Providence Journal.

SATURDAY: Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is in a walking boot after an MRI revealed inflammation around the navicular bone of his foot, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, and will get a second opinion on the injury. Ellsbury's doctors are set to determine whether he suffered a deep bone bruise or a fracture, tweets the Boston Globe's Gordon Edes. Somewhat more positively, GM Ben Cherington says that his "understanding is there's not a long-term concern here," making the key question "how do we manage it over the next several weeks," Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports on Twitter.

While the precise nature of the injury remains unknown, it seems clear that Ellsbury will miss at least some time. Manager John Farrell said the injury is "more than day to day," according to another Lauber tweet, and the team will want to make sure he is able to contribute in the post-season even if he gets a favorable diagnosis. If Ellsbury has indeed suffered a fracture, there would seem to be a good chance that his season would be over. A fracture of the navicular bone sidelined teammate Dustin Pedroia for about two months in 2010, and he re-injured the foot upon returning. 

Whatever happens with the injury, Ellsbury has re-established himself — albeit not his former power — after a poor, injury-plagued 2012 season. Over 624 plate appearances this year, he has a .299/.355/.424 line and leads the league with 52 swipes. Of course, the 29-year-old's value would figure to be in line for a substantial downgrade if he is unable to return and prove his health. MLBTR's Mark Polishuk recently looked at the question whether the Sox would spend over $100MM for Ellsbury, but it is certainly fair to doubt whether that level is attainable if he ends the season injured. Even if he can return in 2013, the center fielder's history was already a potential source of concern for clubs pondering a major, long-term investment, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted in placing Ellsbury second in the 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings. 

Edward Creech contributed to this post.