[RedSoxAnni]

Joe McDonald, ProJo - Sox are getting man of character in Westmoreland

BOSTON — Ryan Westmoreland officially became a member of the Boston Red Sox yesterday when he signed a five-year contract worth $2 million. The 18-year-old Portsmouth native will report to Fort Myers, Fla., tomorrow to begin his pro career with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox.

...

He’ll report to Fort Myers as an outfielder and play 10 games for the GCL Red Sox before reporting to Lowell where he’ll finish out the season with the Spinners.

[RedSoxAnni]

Joe McDonald, ProJo - Portsmouth’s Ryan Westmoreland has had an eventful beginning to his Red Sox career


Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen keeps tabs on all the minor-leaguers in Florida by having daily communication with the staff.

"He’s doing well and he’s getting back all of his range-of-motion at this point," said Hazen. "He's very much on target and we know he’s getting great care. Everything seems to be progressing very well."

If things continue to progress, Westmoreland should be able to start swinging a bat in March and could begin to throw soon after. That means he could return to game action in late April or early May. At that point the development staff will determine whether Westmoreland will join a full- or short-season club. There’s a very good possibility he will play for the Lowell Spinners this summer.

[RedSoxAnni]

Joe McDonald, ProJo - At his first spring training, Westmoreland's 'whole life is dedicated to baseball'

Westmoreland needed surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. His rehab continues at the Player Development Complex here but he’s close to returning to baseball activities.

He’s been told it’s likely he’ll be able to start throwing and hitting in a week, or soon after.

“Right now, he’s just working on his range of motion,” said Epstein. “We’ll start a throwing progression in a few weeks. Once he comes back, we expect him to have a good year. He’s really a talented kid. He can hit. He can run. He can play defense and we think his arm will bounce back, too. He’s a well-rounded player and a really good kid. He’s a hard worker. He obviously has a long way to go, but there’s a lot to like.”

Because of his rehab, Westmoreland hasn’t been able to swing a bat in his first professional spring training. It’s frustrating, but he understands why.

“I know this is a process and I have to take it slow,” he said. “If I try to rush it, something could go wrong and that’s what I don’t want at all costs. I’m trying to take it slow, but I’m chomping at the bit to get out there.”

He’s settling into a routine and learning how monotonous rehab and camp can become at times. Westmoreland has been able to make the transition to the professional level a rather smooth one, despite the injury. So far everything has been positive.

[jackson]

Ryan Westmoreland to undergo brain surgery:

http://www.boston.co...oreland_on.html

[RedSoxAnni]

That is really bad news for this kid. I wonder if he had symptoms of an intracranial bleed that led the Sox to do an MRI on his brain. This is not the sort of thing that would be discovered on a routine physical, so something must have happened that alerted the medical team.

[jackson]

RedSoxAnni, on 13 March 2010 - 08:02 PM, said:

That is really bad news for this kid. I wonder if he had symptoms of an intracranial bleed that led the Sox to do an MRI on his brain. This is not the sort of thing that would be discovered on a routine physical, so something must have happened that alerted the medical team.

He had his wisdom teeth taken out in early March. Left camp and never came back.

If the surgery gets all the bad stuff out, he could be back playing next year. This isn't cancerous. It's just a malformation of blood cells.

here's a link to the projo coverage:

http://soxblog.projo.../03/post-3.html

[Manny's PS2]

The surgery is extremely dangerous though, because it's on the stem.

[jackson]

Manny, on 15 March 2010 - 07:38 AM, said:

The surgery is extremely dangerous though, because it's on the stem.

Yes. The Projo quoted a local neurosurgeon today about how the kid could come out of this pretty well. That's how you handle it with the local kids. Then, later in the story, they talked about how complex the surgery is when the malformation in located on the stem. Buried the lead.

Everyone is praying for the local kid around Rhode Island and elsewhere, too.

[RedSoxAnni]

Update on Westmoreland surgery

[Mike LansWho]

Looks like Ryan is doing very well 8 months removed from the surgery. He's even been taking batting practice 2-3 times a week.
http://soxblog.projo...oreland-ho.html

[Mike LansWho]

The Projo updated the status of Ryan Westmoreland. He has continued to take batting practice and regular workouts. It sounds like he is doing very well almost a year out from the surgery. No time-table for his return, but what a great story.

[Mike LansWho]

The Globe is reporting that Ryan is among the nearly 50 Red Sox players already going through some drills. It's amazing how far he has come since his surgery. He probably won't see any game time this spring, but it is a great sign that he is there.

[BigSlick]

Westmoreland took BP today for the first time.

[rominer]

http://sports.espn.g..._joe&id=6200302

Quote

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The night before Boston Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland was scheduled to undergo a potentially life-threatening surgery to remove a cavernous malformation from his brain stem, he and his family, along with his girlfriend, ate dinner at Outback Steakhouse in Phoenix, Ariz.

It was March 15, 2010.

It was a somber night because no one at the table knew what to expect.

I can't help but think, "That's what you get for eating at a crappy chain restaurant."

[BigSlick]

rominer, on 10 March 2011 - 02:10 PM, said:

I can't help but think, "That's what you get for eating at a crappy chain restaurant."

Yeah, but the bloomin' onion is awesome.

[Mike LansWho]

I guess it was too busy at Alice Cooperstown.

[rominer]

Same story, longer format.

They still eat at Outback. That's like the ball going through Buckner's legs. Every time I see it, I think it might turn out differently. But it never does.

http://www.boston.co..._brain_surgery/

[Mike LansWho]

Ryan is heading down to the Dominican Winter League where he will DH. Making strides.

[Mike LansWho]

Hasn't been an update in a while. Here's a NESN Road to Fenway piece.

http://www.nesn.com/...-sox-video.html

[RedSoxAnni]

Westmoreland has additional surgery

Minor league outfielder Ryan Westmoreland today underwent surgery for a complication of a cavernous malformation in his brain. According to the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, the surgery was a success and Ryan is doing well in recovery. Dr. Robert Spetzler performed the procedure.