Crawford Hopes To Be Ready By Opening Day
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Carl Crawford showed up to camp on Friday injured but with a healthy dose of optimism.
The left fielder is working his way back from offseason wrist surgery, and despite manager Bobby Valentine's expectation that Crawford would miss at least the first two weeks of the season, Crawford is hoping to hit the field a little sooner.
"I don't know. In my mind I think the odds are good but I definitely don't want to miss any games," Crawford told reporters at JetBlue Park. "That's my goal right now is to make it for Opening Day."
Crawford underwent wrist surgery in January for an injury that reportedly nagged him during the 2011 season. Crawford downplayed the impact of that injury on Monday, saying he "was out of whack in so many ways last year" that the wrist injury was just "minor." The obvious question was why it took so long for Crawford to get the surgery after the season, and he said he didn't realize the injury was as bad as it was until he began hitting later in the offseason.
Crawford said he had just met Valentine on Monday morning and that the manager wasn't even aware that Crawford was able to throw. He's not yet able to swing a bat but said he hopes he'll be able to soon.
"I definitely feel good about it," he said.
