Jacoby Ellsbury to Rehab for PawSox
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury will continue his comeback from broken ribs this weekend when his current rehab assignment brings him to Pawtucket when the PawSox host the Durham Bulls. Ellsbury will play for the PawSox beginning Saturday night at 6:05 pm at McCoy Stadium and Sunday afternoon at 1:05pm.
Ironically, the PawSox will be presenting Jacoby Ellsbury Bobblehead Doll Night at McCoy Stadium tomorrow (Saturday) when the PawSox take on the Durham Bulls at 6:05 pm. The first 4,000 fans (aged 14 & under) will receive this popular collector's edition Bobblehead Doll of the current Red Sox and former PawSox star and ironically Ellsbury appears set to play tomorrow night at McCoy. Jacoby joins an illustrious list of former PawSox and current Red Sox stars who have been feted with a PawSox bobblehead following such luminaries as Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Jonathan Papelbon, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and last year Jon Lester.
Jacoby has been on Boston's disabled list twice this season after suffering hairline fractures in four ribs in an outfield collision with Red Sox 3B Adrian Beltre on April 11 in Kansas City. He was originally placed on Boston's disabled list on April 20 (retroactive to April 12) after batting .333 (10-for-30) with 4 2B, 1 RBI, 6 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases in his first 6 games of the season. His first rehab assignment began on May 17 with the PawSox (1-for-3 with an RBI, BB, and 2 runs scored that afternoon vs. Syracuse) and continued with two games in Portland on May 18 & 20 (3-for-7 with a 2B, BB, SB, 2 runs scored). He was activated by Boston on May 22 and played in three games with the Red Sox from May 22-24 (going 1-for-14 with 1 RBI & 1 run scored). He was placed back on the DL on May 28 with recurring trouble from his fractured ribs. Overall in 9 games for the Red Sox this season (5 starts in LF and 4 starts in CF) he is hitting .250 (11-for-44) with 4 2B, 3 RBI, 2 SB, and 7 runs scored.
His latest rehab stint began this past Monday (July 26) with the Gulf Coast Rookie Red Sox where he played in three games (DH on Monday and CF both Tuesday & Thursday) going 2-for-8 with 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SB, and 3 runs scored.
Jacoby, 26, played in 87 games for the PawSox in 2007 (making his debut on May 4) and hit .298 with 2 HR, 28 RBI and 33 SB. He was initially promoted to Boston on June 30, 2007 and later returned to Boston that September. In the 2007 World Series he hit .438 in Boston's 4-game sweep of Colorado. In 153 games for the Red Sox last season, Ellsbury hit .301 with 27 2B, 10 3B, 8 HR, and 60 RBI. He also set a new Boston Red Sox record with 70 stolen bases (in 82 chances) to lead all of Major League Baseball in SB and is already 6th on the Red Sox all-time steals list with 131 career SB.