Middlebrooks cleared

After yesterday's scare with Will Middlebrooks' wrist, it was good to hear that there was no structural damage. With broken bones, there can sometimes be pain long after everything's totally healed - but it's obviously even more worrisome when the bone belongs to a budding young star.

There's no question that the Sox medical team will be keeping a close eye on Middlebrooks and his wrist, since losing him (again) would be a HUGE blow to the team, at a time where the fanbase isn't prepared to accept many more setbacks. Unquestionably, Middlebrooks is extremely talented and fun to watch, so from a simple baseball standpoint they need to do everything possible to keep him on the field.

Middlebrooks described the swing that triggered the moment of pain as an unusual checked swing, implying that he committed more than usual before trying to suspend his momentum, and it's possible that even without a recently repaired wrist, the motion might have caused pain.  The important thing is that Middlebrooks has been cleared for all baseball activities by a hand specialist, and was able to take batting practice this morning.