Middlebrooks, Ross Day-To-Day After Collision
BOSTON (CBS) - Not only did the Boston Red Sox lose to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, they also lost their third baseman and backup catcher.
Luckily, the team is optimistic both players won't be lost for too long.
Both Will Middlebrooks and David Ross had to leave Boston's 6-1 loss on Tuesday night after colliding with each other in the fifth inning. Middlebrooks and Ross both gave chase to a Chris Parmalee foul ball, with the two colliding as they slid to make the catch.
Middlebrooks came up with the ball in his glove, but not without his right side crashing into the lower wall along the stands. Ross took a blow to his knee, which required him to ice it into "the wee hours of the morning," according to the backstop.
"David Ross has got left quad contusion, right above the knee area," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "When he slid, both he and Will, the shin guard kind of peeled back a little bit and he slammed into the wall at that point. So he's day-to-day."
Farrell said there was no structural damage with Ross, but he was removed with swelling in the knee.
Middlebrooks lasted a bit longer, but was replaced by Pedro Ciriaco in the top of the seventh. He underwent X-Rays and a CT scan, and Farrell is hoping his third baseman isn't too banged up.
"We don't think Will's situation is more than day-to-day at this point," Farrell said. "We'll certainly get a better read when the test results come back, but my thoughts haven't gone down that path yet."
"When he slid on his side, he kind of whipped over and slammed in the wall there," Farrell continued. "He took the next at-bat and didn't feel anything. He stated that he could have gone further but precautionary, we got him out of the game."
The injuries have started to pile up for the Red Sox. On Monday they placed closer Andrew Bailey on the 15-day DL with a right biceps strain, followed by Joel Hanrahan hitting the DL on Tuesday (his second stint of the season) with a right forearm strain. So far this season, eight Red Sox players have made their way to the disabled list.
"We're a little banged up right now," Ross said after the game. "We're kind of weathering the storm as far as the team goes; just doing our best to get out there."
The Red Sox and Twins resume their four-game series on Wednesday night.
