Red Sox’ Curtis Mead will avoid surgery, so a return this season remains in play

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One day after an MRI discovered that Red Sox second baseman Curtis Mead has a broken left wrist, the newcomer received some relatively good news Wednesday.

During a follow-up appointment with a specialist in Boston, Mead learned that the injury is not expected to require surgery, sources told MassLive. That means a return this season is in play. One source said that Mead was given a “tentative” timeline of 6-8 weeks. The regular season ends eight weeks from Sunday, on September 27.

Before Wednesday’s game, interim manager Chad Tracy said he had no update on Mead’s follow-up appointment.

“There’s nothing new …. we’ll see once we get (it) from the specialist and all that,” Tracy said.

Tracy said he hopes to have more information after the game.

“I don’t know if I will or not. I hope so,” he said.

The Red Sox, at 55-51, currently sit in the second of three American League wild card spots and have a two-game lead over the Twins, the closest team on the outside looking in. If they do reach the postseason, the Red Sox would likely play in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting on September 29. Timelines change with injured players, but a return before that date is possible at this time.

Mead, who was acquired in a weekend trade that sent left-hander Connelly Early, was hit by a 95 mph Jack Perkins pitch in his second plate appearance with Boston on Monday night at Sutter Health Park. He left the game and initial X-rays done at the ballpark suggested that there was no fracture. An MRI on Tuesday in Sacramento revealed a fracture in the wrist, leading Mead to fly east for an appointment in Boston on Wednesday.

The Red Sox officially placed Mead on the injured list (retroactive to July 28) with a wrist fracture before Wednesday’s game and recalled utility man Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester. Sogard was not active Tuesday because could not get from Norfolk, Va. (where the WooSox are playing) to Sacramento in time. The Red Sox played a man short in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the A’s but will have a full 26-man roster Wednesday.

Mead, who is under team control through the 2030 season, was expected to take over as the full-time second baseman. In his absence, the Red Sox have Romy Gonzalez, Anthony Seigler, Andruw Monasterio and Sogard on the roster as options at the position. Marcelo Mayer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa could factor into the mix when they return from the injured list.

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