According to an industry source with knowledge of the situation, Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury likely suffered a dislocation or subluxation of his right shoulder on a play at second base in which Rays shortstop Reid Brignac's knee drove into his back. Ellsbury immediately grabbed for his right shoulder, and after being seen by a Red Sox team trainer, he was removed from the game, walking off the field with his right arm pinned to his chest. Third baseman Kevin Youkilis said that Ellsbury informed the team that "it felt like something moved a little bit."
Ellsbury's condition was announced by the Sox as a right shoulder injury, with Ellsbury being sent to Mass General for further testing. While the results of those tests have not yet been announced, the source confirmed that Ellsbury likely suffered a dislocation or subluxation in which the shoulder slipped out of the joint. With such a diagnosis, Ellsbury would be expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks to see if the injury responds to rest and rehabilitation. If not, then season-ending surgery would be a possibility.
The injury harbors some similarities to one that Derek Jeter suffered on Opening Day of the 2003 season, when Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby fell on the Yankees shortstop, with his knee landing on Jeter's shoulder. In that instance, Jeter rehabbed and was back in six weeks, and performed at an exceptional level (.324 average, .393 OBP, .844 OPS) in 119 games that year.
For more on the injury, click here [1]. For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [2].
Links:
[1] http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2012/04/13/worst-case-scenario-for-jacoby-ellsbury-very-very-bad/
[2] http://www.weei.com/redsox
[3] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox