Crawford may miss season opener

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford had surgery on his left wrist Tuesday and could miss opening day.

General manager Ben Cherington said Crawford is expected to resume hitting at some point in spring training and be ready early in the season.

"Carl will be our everyday leftfielder for the bulk of the 2012 season," Cherington said. "We're not ruling out opening day, but we're not going to put a timeline on it. Carl will be ready exactly when he's ready. There's no one who works harder than Carl.

"We're confident he'll be back and playing soon. We just don't know when."

Cherington said Crawford experienced some discomfort last season, but the problem flared up recently when Crawford began more intense hitting workouts. The surgery, which Cherington called "relatively routine," was performed in Arizona on Tuesday by Dr. Donald Sheridan, who also operated on Crawford's right hand in 2008.

"We are confident he will recover from it and go into the 2012 season with a fresh mind and confidence that his wrist is feeling good," Cherington said, adding Darnell McDonald and Mike Aviles are expected to fill in until Crawford is available. "We feel like we have some options even if Carl's not ready on opening day."

Crawford had career lows with a .255 average and 18 stolen bases in 2011, the first season of his seven-year, US$142-million contract with the Red Sox.

"We think this time of the year's a lot better than the end of spring training," Cherington said. "He's got a chance to do a lot of work and recover and be active for us for the majority of the season. Carl's a really tough guy, and this is something that's bothered him periodically in the past, including in 2011."

Cherington also said the team was likely to have another conversation with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who is third on the franchise's all-time win list with 186, six behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens. Cherington said he wanted to treat both Wakefield, the longest-tenured member of the team, and catcher Jason Varitek with respect while also being honest with them about their chances to make the roster.

Cherington said right-hander Vicente Padilla is being considered as a starter but could move to the bullpen if the team needs him more there.