Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz has a precautionary appointment Wednesday with orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his original diagnoses of an elbow strain.
For his part, Buchholz envisions returning to the mound in the near future.
"I don't think it will be long once I start throwing," Buchholz, who could play catch this weekend, said Friday. "Just having somebody else give you a direct response, given who he is and what he's done over his career, it's really the only option for me. ... It's a piece of mind thing for me going forward. I don't expect him to find anything else that they've found."
Buchholz, who suffered the injury in his final start prior to the All-Star break in a start against the New York Yankees, underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage to his pitching elbow.
"I was pretty sore the couple of days after that start," Buchholz added. "Our doctors said that rest is the best thing for something involving an elbow or shoulder when it doesn't involve any kind of damage structurally. It definitely feels a lot better."
Boston's front office will be anxiously awaiting the outcome of Buchholz's second opinion as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches. The Red Sox may be tempted to stand pat if Buchholz, who is 7-7 with a 3.26 ERA in 18 starts, can return by early August. Otherwise, general manager Ben Cherington may need to make a deal for a starting pitcher if the Sox are serious about making a push in the American League East.
