BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox center fielder Mike Cameron, who passed a kidney stone Friday morning, was scratched from the lineup Monday and headed back to the hospital to find out the cause of more abdominal distress.
After Monday's 8-2 Red Sox loss to the Rays, manager Terry Francona said a CT scan ruled out another kidney stone for Cameron, who was undergoing further tests.
Left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, meanwhile, has made only "minimal" progress in his recovery from bruised left ribs and doesn't appear close to coming back. He has missed the last seven games.
It appears a roster move may be upcoming with the status of both Cameron and Ellsbury still up in the air. Francona said he and general manager Theo Epstein would review their options Monday after the game, but it would seem the team lost their gamble of not placing Ellsbury on the disabled list initially, especially given how inept their patchwork outfield has been. The team played Bill Hall in center field Monday.
It's been a rough weekend for Cameron, who in addition to passing the kidney stone, dropped a line drive Saturday night that led to four unearned runs in a 6-5 loss.
Sunday, he froze on a line drive that went over his head for a double.
"As the night progressed, his back was sore, his front was sore, he was really feeling it,'' Francona said Monday morning. "He didn't feel great [Sunday], but he thought it was more general soreness. He's a lot tougher kid than people think he is. I've never had one, but people tell me they're agonizing.''
How painful?
"I've been knocked out,'' Cameron said on Saturday, "and this was worse than that. I've never been shot, but if getting shot is worse than this, I hope I never get shot.''
Gordon Edes is ESPNBoston.com's Red Sox reporter. He covered the Red Sox for 12 years and has reported on baseball for 25 years. Ask a question for his next mailbag here.