Red Sox would-be closer Andrew Bailey spoke to reporters on a conference call Friday, two days after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and said he was confident he'd be able to return to the field by the end of the season."I know from what typical UCL thumb injuries take, I think it's safe to say that I will be back before the end of the year," Bailey said (via the Boston Herald). "In terms of how soon that will be, that kind of depends on the body, the throwing program and all that kind of stuff. Talking with the doctor, I'm fairly confident in saying I will be back before the end of the year and help this team get to the playoffs and win the World Series."
Without Bailey, Mark Melancon started the ninth in a tie game and gave up two singles, before the designated closer, Alfredo Aceves, came in and gave up the game-winning single in a 3-2 loss to the Tigers. Bailey said he didn't believe it was his place to talk about who should be closing for Boston in his stead.
"That's not really my decision, that's the manager's decision," he said (via the Herald). "Bullpens always figure themselves out. Roles are always changing, usually. But there's a lot of good arms down in that pen. They'll figure themselves out. I know Aceves is the closer right now,a nd he's got some great stuff. Mark's got good experience. A lot of guys down there would be fine in that role. They'll hold it down until I get back and be able to help them out. I'm just focused on myself right now. Those are Bobby's decisions."
Bailey said he expects to begin his rehab in two or three weeks. He is also planning to talk to Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who had a similar surgery in 2010.
Bailey said his ligament was abled to be mended, instead of undergoing a full reconstruction, which should be an advantage in his recovery. He suffered the injury on March 21 when he collided with Josh Pressley near first base. A week later he was in a minor-league rehab game and couldn't fully grip the ball.
