Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox might be back to square one with their trade deadline plans.
Curtis Mead, whom the Red Sox acquired over the weekend in a trade with the Nationals, was placed on the injured list on Tuesday, a day after taking a 95 mph fastball to the wrist in his second plate appearance with his new team.
Mead spoke with Red Sox reporters in Sacramento on Tuesday and revealed that an MRI showed that he suffered a broken wrist.
As for whether he’ll need surgery, Mead will fly to Boston to meet with a hand specialist to make that determination.
News of the broken wrist was a surprising development, as the Red Sox stated Monday night that X-rays were negative, with interim manager Chad Tracy saying the team might have “dodged a bullet.”
To replace Mead on the roster, the team recalled Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester. Sogard’s primary position in his 73 major league games has been second base, where Mead was expected to be playing.
Mead suffered the injury in his Red Sox debut on Monday night. After striking out looking in his first at-bat, Mead was struck by a 1-1 fastball from Jack Perkins on the wrist.
Mead stayed in the game and played the field in the bottom of the fourth, but he was replaced in the bottom of the fifth by Anthony Seigler.
With the broken wrist, Mead won’t be able to contribute to the Red Sox for an extended period of time. Considering Breslow’s stated desire to add offense, losing Mead immediately after trading for him adds a level of complexity to the team’s approach to the Aug. 3 deadline.
