Red Sox Diaries

The Sox caught a huge break. Jed Lowrie will have surgery on his left wrist, but he is projected to be back by the All-Star break, if not earlier. There had been a fear that an operation would have shelved Lowrie for the rest of the season.

The Sox will still have to count on Nick Green at short until Julio Lugo (knee) gets the medical green light. That could be soon because Lugo is about to start a rehab stint in the minors.

In the meantime, Green gets to enjoy his moment in the sun. He has bounced around the minors for 10 years along with stints in the bigs with Atlanta, Tampa Bay, the Yankees and Seattle. Versatility is one reason why Green has been able to hang around. He has played at least one major league at every infield position while also doing spot duty as an outfielder and a DH.

After squeezing in a half dozen games with the Mariners in 2007, Green spent all of last season with the Yankees' affiliate in Scranton-Wilkes Barre. For a 30-year-old, that isn't exactly huge reason for optimism. Not to get all Hallmark Special about it, but Green is a nice feel-good story here in the early going. --- Ernie Pantusso.