With the news coming today that Mark Kotsay had back surgery on Jan. 29 to remove a displaced disc fragment, the decision by the Red Sox to sign Brad Wilkerson (pending a physical) makes more sense. Wilkerson, a first baseman-outfielder, agreed to terms on a minor league deal, as reported yesterday.

Dr. Robert Watkins performed the arthroscopic surgery in Los Angeles. Kotsay is expected to miss at least the first month of the season, and could be back at some point in May, according to a source familiar with the situation.