Tim Wakefield will have surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back Wednesday at Massachusetts General Hospital, the first step in getting the 43-year-old righthander ready for another season with the Red Sox.
Dr. Lawrence Borges will perform the surgery. If the prognosis is that Wakefield will be able to pitch in 2010, the Sox are again expected to exercise the knuckleballer’s perpetual $4 million contract option. General manager Theo Epstein said this week the team wanted Wakefield to return for a 16th season in Boston and would use him as a starter.
“We haven’t sat down and finalized anything,’’ said Epstein. “Obviously, we want to see how the surgery goes and then both sides will sit down and talk.’’
Wakefield was on the disabled list from July 21-Aug. 26 with a lower back strain. He started only four games after that, going 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA, and was left off the roster for the Division Series against the Angels because the back pain left him unable to move comfortably.
Doctors have assured Wakefield that having surgery now will allow him to be ready for the start of spring training in February.
Wakefield was 11-5 with a 4.58 ERA over 21 starts and made the All-Star team for the first time. But his last victory came July 8, and the 129 2/3 innings Wakefield pitched were the fewest since his second season with the Pirates in 1993.
