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Will Middlebrooks Cleared For All Baseball Activity After Right Wrist Scare

BOSTON (CBS) -- Red Sox Nation can take a collective deep breath on Thursday morning, as manager John Farrell told the media that Will Middlebrooks did not suffer an injury on Wednesday night.

Farrell said that Middlebrooks will take a day to rest his right wrist but has been cleared to play.

"His exam this morning was benign. He didn't feel any discomfort when he was put through a battery of tests," Farrell said. "He's actually been cleared for all baseball activity, but I'm sure he's going to take the day to just let it wrist. Given the way he came out after that song, obviously it was very good news this morning.

"He was checked out by a hand specialist," Farrell added. "Based on his clinical exam, [the doctor] didn't feel like X-rays or MRIs were warranted. There was nothing structural that was revealed in the physical testing that he went through. Had there been any kind of discomfort, we certainly would have taken him for imaging, but at this point, that wasn't recommended by the doctor."

Middlebrooks left Wednesday night's game in Sarasota against Baltimore after appearing to injure his right wrist on a swing. It's the same wrist which Middlebrooks broke last season, and the game was televised on NESN, so fans watching back home watched with worry.

After the game, however, Middlebrooks said it was just a scare and was nothing serious, and Thursday's test confirmed that.

"He'll be day-to-day until he takes BP, which should be [Friday]," Farrell said. "Our plan right now is that he would be able to go [Friday]. But we'll just be sure that he comes through BP without any issue."

Farrell himself admitted that he was a bit worried while watching Middlebrooks on Wednesday night.

"At the time of the swing, it wasn't real encouraging. Given what he went through with the fracture a year ago, I can understand that he was a little tentative and probably a little scared," Farrell said. "Fortunately this morning, things checked out OK."

Farrell also spoke to the significant role that Middlebrooks is expected to fill on this year's team.

"We're talking about a guy that's just in the early stages of what looks to be a very productive career," Farrell said. "He's a 24-year-old that can hit with power, hit with average, he certainly lengthens out our lineup with a right-handed power bat. We're counting on him for north of 150 games, and barring injury, that's the type of player he is."

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