BOSTON -- With Daisuke Matsuzaka and Rich Hill both looking at potential Tommy John surgery, here's a look at some Sox pitchers who have had the procedure in the past (some while with the Sox, others while with other teams) and how they recovered:

* Manny Delcarmen: Had Tommy John surgery in May 2003 while playing for Single-A Sarasota. He was 1-1 with a 3.13 ERA in 4 appearances before the surgery. He returned a year later in May 2004 and pitched in 19 games for Sarasota, going 3-6 with a 4.68 ERA in 73 IP. Made it to the big leagues just over a year later, his velocity intact, making his debut on June 26, 2005.

* Chad Fox: Fox was one of the rarities who had two Tommy John surgeries, both early in his career, also had a third operation after fracturing his elbow, and was bedeviled by elbow problems throughout his career. His only injury-free season came in 2001, when as a setup man for the Milwaukee Brewers he threw in 65 games with 5-2 record and a 1.89 ERA. Fox lasted only one season with the Red Sox, where he was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 17 appearances during the 2003 season.

* Frank Viola: Had Tommy John surgery on May 17, 1994 while with the Red Sox. He was 1-1 with a 4.65 ERA in 6 starts before the surgery. The surgery virtually ended his career, as he would make only 9 more appearances in the next two years before retiring. He was 0-1 with a 6.28 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds in 1995 and 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996. He retired after the 1996 season.

* Tom Gordon: Had Tommy John surgery in December 1999. A year before in 1998, he had a career-high 46 saves and a 2.72 ERA for the Red Sox. His elbow began to bother him in the 1999 season and he was limited to only 21 appearances. He missed the whole 2000 season and was traded to the White Sox, where he had 27 saves in 47 appearances in 2001. He pitched 9 more seasons after getting the surgery.

* Rheal Cormier: Had Tommy John surgery in 1997 after making only 1 start with the Montreal Expos, in which he gave up 5 runs in 1.1 IP. Cormier spent two years of recovery out of the league before returning in 1999 as a reliever for the Red Sox. He was 2-0 with a 3.69 ERA in 60 appearances in 1999 and pitched 7 more years in the MLB.

* Matt Mantei: Had Tommy John surgery in June 2001 after pitching in only 8 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks that season. He returned the following year for the Diamondbacks, making 31 appearances with a 4.73 ERA. Mantei was mostly ineffective for the Red Sox in 2005, with a 6.49 ERA in 34 appearances.

* Scott Williamson: Had Tommy John surgery early in the 2001 season after only 2 appearances for the Cincinnati Reds. Williamson was fairly successful with the Reds, going 17-15 in his first two years in the majors with a 2.41 ERA in 1999 and a 3.29 ERA in 2000. He was never the same after the surgery and was relegated to the Red’s minor league system in 2003. Williamson spent only two years with the Sox and had a 6.20 ERA in 24 games during the latter half of the 2003 season. He required yet another Tommy John surgery in 2005.

* Bob Howry: Had Tommy John surgery after injuring his elbow during his 2002 season with the Red Sox. Howry missed most of 2003 but tried to return late in the season, but gave up 6 runs in only 4.1 IP (12.46 ERA) in 4 appearances. He was traded to Cleveland in 2004 and had some success, going 4-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 37 games in 2004 and 7-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 79 games in 2005.

* Jason Shiell: Had Tommy John surgery in May 2004 after 1 year with the Red Sox. Shiell was 2-0 with a 4.63 ERA in 17 relief appearances in 2003. Shiell did not return from the surgery until 2006 when he pitched 15.2 innings for the Braves, going 0-2 with a 8.62 ERA. 2006 was his last season in the majors.

Williams College student Darren Hartwell is an intern for ESPNBoston.com.