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Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks recently had a second spinal decompression procedure after experiencing discomfort following the first procedure in mid-December.
That means Jenks is unlikely to be ready for the start of spring training, according to a major league source.
Jenks, 30, experienced discomfort from bone fragments pressing against a nerve. They were removed in the first procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital. But after some healing, a new area of fragments was discovered, and they were removed at a Phoenix-area hospital.
The normal recovery time for the procedure is eight weeks, which would mean Jenks is back in the flow the first or second week of March.
The righthander is in the second year of a two-year, $12 million deal, and he has had a few medical issues since signing, including a pulmonary embolism that had to be treated before his first back surgery.
Globe: Jenks has a second procedure
This would have been a huge concern if the Sox didn't get Mark Melancon. But the one area the Sox have been active transforming the bullpen. With him out for the first half of spring training, the Sox have a bullpen that consists of Melancon, Andrew Bailey, Matt Albers, Scott Atichson, Franklin Morales, and (depending on how the rotation pans out) Alfredo Aceves. So the bullpen looks formidable on paper for now.
Jenks would be getting a second chance at being the 7th inning guy, a role that he was struggled mightily in the limited time he was on the field. He's been having back problems since late April and thought it would've been done. He's on the hook for $6 million this year, which is huge considering how CHEAP frugal the team has been this season. That $6 million could go to getting a free agent starter that the Sox could really use, just in case the Carlos Silva experiment blows up. But the Sox are stuck with a former closer with a bad back and is just climbing the list of bad signing as each day passes.
Rest of the Links: WEEI:Jenks has second back procedure|Pedroia: "2011 was best offensive season"|
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January 04, 2012
