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| Friday, March 2 | |||||
| Nomar sidelined two weeks Special to ESPN.com | |||||
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The pronounced optimism surrounding the Red Sox was shaken Wednesday afternoon with the news that shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was suffering from a split tendon in his right wrist that will sideline him for at least the first two weeks of March.
Garciaparra, the two-time defending American League batting champion, was diagnosed with "a small longitudinal split in an ECU (extensor carpi ulnaris) tendon ... and inflammation of the tendon," according to a team physician.
The nature of the injury dates back to September 25, 1999, when Garciaparra was struck in the wrist by a pitch from Baltimore's Al Reyes. He played all of last season with some pain and discomfort, but was never sidelined by it..
"There wasn't a time when I felt like I even needed to ice it," he said
Monday morning, however, Garciaparra woke up with extensive swelling in the wrist and couldn't grip a bat or throw a ball.
The plan is for Garciaparra to be fitted with a soft or removable cast, which he will wear for the next week or two.
"Right now," Garciaparra said, "I hope that's all we need. If I'm only out two weeks, I'll have ample time (to get ready for the start of the season)."
Asked if he was worried by the injury, Garciaparra responded: "I don't know."
Garciaparra said surgery wasn't mentioned as a possibility in his discussion with team doctors.
"If they were thinking about that," Garciaparra said, "they didn't tell me. And I didn't want to hear it."
Manager Jimy Williams took a similar tone, too.
"What did he hit last year -- about .375?" Williams asked. "There's probably a lot of people who would like to find out how he got hurt so they could do it, too."
Turning serious, Williams said the Sox would see how the wrist responded to rest.
"We'll let the doctors take care of it," Williams said. "Let the time frame come and go and go and we'll see what happens. We're not in a panic mode here. With the start of games starting tomorrow, we do have time on our side."
Red Sox officials declined to comment about possible ramificiations if Garciaparra isn't better when the cast is removed.
The Sox don't have much in the way of depth at shortstop. Lou Merloni, Garciaparra's closest friend on the team, has some experience there, but all 40 of his games at the big-league level last year were at third base. Merloni played short in Game 3 of the 1999 ALDS, two weeks after Garciaparra was first struck in the wrist.
Non-roster invitees Jon Shave and Craig Grebeck have some shortstop experience, but have played mostly second base.
If the Sox are interested in obtaining a backup with more experience, there are several available, including San Diego's Chris Gomez and perhaps Cincinnati's Juan Castro.
Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal writes a weekly baseball notebook for ESPN.com.
 Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | ALSO SEE McAdam: Holes in the Sox? AUDIO/VIDEO   Nomar Garciaparra says his main concern is getting healthy before the regular season starts.avi: 1899 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 ESPN's Peter Gammons talks about the impact of Nomar Garciaparra's injured wrist.RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||||