Red Sox infielder Marco Hernandez is weighing surgery that would probably keep him out for the rest of the season, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal was among those to report (Twitter links). While nothing has been decided, manager John Farrell suggested that the surgical route was increasingly likely.
Hernandez, 24, has played a surprisingly important role for Boston in the early going. Before hitting the DL, he had taken sixty plate appearances while helping to fill in at third base and also seeing action at short and second. Hernandez is hitting just .276/.300/.328 over that span.
While the Sox will be disappointed to lose the flexibility represented by Hernandez, if he does indeed go under the knife, the news doesn’t come at the worst possible time. Boston has welcomed back Josh Rutledge, whose early-season absence opened the door for Hernandez, with Pablo Sandoval and Brock Holt also on the way back.
Hernandez came to Boston as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Felix Doubront to the Cubs at the 2014 trade deadline. He finally gained traction after arriving with his new organization, moving into the upper minors and then reaching the majors for the first time last year.
Ehh…50 pounds is my guess.
**rimshot**
… is Mike Lowell available?