Droppy to Go under the knif

Lackey to have Tommy John surgery Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington announced at his introductory press conference Tuesday that right-handed pitcher Jon Lackey will have Tommy John surgery this offseason.

Lackey, 33, is coming off the worst statistical season of his career, going 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA in his second season with the Sox.

"He had some intermittent elbow soreness throughout the season," Cherington said. "We decided, he decided it would be a good sea after to the season to get that checked again. He saw Dr. Yocum recently in LA, had a follow-up MRI to compare to the previous one that was done in May or June. After more consultation with Dr. Yocum, John has decided to go ahead with Tommy John surgery. We're waiting on a surgery date, but I talked to him the other day, and he's really excited about the future, certainly anxious about the surgery and getting that done and the rehab, but knows that he's a much better pitcher than what he showed in 2011.

"I believe he's going to be a much better pitcher than what he showed in 2011, and we look forward to having him as part of the stuff likely in 2013."

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