John Lackey Injury May Not Be As Bad As It Looked [Video]

Toronto, ON — The John Lackey injury could be just a cramp in his right arm rather than something more serious that is related to his surgically repaired elbow. Time will tell, however.

Lackey and the Boston Red Sox are cautiously optimistic after the pitcher had to leave the game this afternoon in the fifth inning after throwing his 76th pitch. As Red Sox Nation held its collective breath, initial testing suggested no serious injury.

Lackey’s 2-2 pitch that was way out of the strike zone nearly hit Jose Reyes of the Toronto Blue Jays. Lackey — who missed the entire 2012 season following Tommy John surgery on his elbow — immediately grabbed his arm in pain and had to leave the game without facing another batter.

Lackey admitted that the pain scared him and he added that it was “A pretty good cramp. It’s all in the biceps. It’s not the elbow. It’s frustrating, scary, when it happened, for sure. … It’s sore, but hopefully not too serious … The test they ran on me here today looked pretty good. Hopefully we’ll get a picture of it tomorrow and get after it. Hopefully it’s nothing too crazy.”

The righty is flying from Toronto back to Boston tomorrow for more tests on his arm, including an MRI

In his first MLB start after the 2011 surgery, Lackey had eight strikeouts in 4.1 innings, but gave up a two-run homer to J.P. Arencibia. Toronto prevailed over the Red Sox by a final score of 5-0.

After the game, Red Sox manager John Farrell also expressed optimism that it was only a right biceps strain: “[Lackey] felt kind of a cramping sensation. Obviously, we talked him out immediately, but once he was in the clubhouse, and iced it down, that cramping went away. The strength test, at least in the training room, showed to be positive in terms of full strength.”

In Lackey’s last full season (2011) with the Red Sox, he seriously underperformed with a 12-12 record and a 6.41 ERA.

[Top image credit: Brandon Vincent / Shutterstock.com]

Watch the John Lackey right arm injury at the Rogers Centre:

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