Kalish to have season-ending surgery

After an injury plagued season that saw him play in only 22 games, outfielder Ryan Kalish is slated to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a bulging disk in his neck, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

Kalish, 23, first went down in April, after playing just two weeks with the Pawtucket Red Sox, following a diving play in the outfield that resulted in a partial tear of the labrum in his left shoulder. The decision was made to treat this injury with rehabilitation and rest, which seemingly went well as he was first getting close to starting a rehab assignment in June. However, that got delayed when he developed pain in his upper trap/neck area.

He was finally able to get back on the field August 8 with the PawSox after a two-game rehab stint with Lowell. This was short-lived also though, as he returned to the disabled list with neck pain after 8 games. He flew out to Los Angeles to see Dr. Robert Watkins earlier this week where the decision to have surgery was made.

The recovery and rehab is expected to take about three months, leaving him on course for a normal Spring Training entering the 2012 season. Many believed Kalish had a strong chance to inherit the starting right field position in 2012, and while this season has put a damper on much of the excitement surrounding his rise to top prospect status, he will likely still play a significant role on the Big League club at some point next season if he can stay healthy.

Tweet