Thornburg's surgically removed rib is in a jar on his parents' counter

Boston Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg has a unique memento following surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome last season - a procedure that involved the removal of one of his ribs.

"I got to keep the rib - it's a lot smaller than you'd think," Thornburg told reporters Saturday. "Some people make necklaces out of it it. I'm not going to do that - that's a little weird."

Thornburg said a number of different things caused his shoulder issues - among them the rib, which he said was getting "pulled up" and cutting off circulation.

So where is his keepsake?

"It's at my parents' place," Thornburg said. "You have to do this cleaning protocol to preserve it so it doesn't turn colors. We just have it in a little jar sitting on the counter."