Boston Red Sox: Christian Vasquez to have Tommy John Surgery, Out for the Year

The Boston Red Sox will lose their young catcher, Christian Vasquez for the entire year.

The Red Sox announced that Vasquez, 24 would undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Dr. James Andrew will perform the surgery in Pensacola, Florida.

Vasquez, who is the Red Sox's number one catcher, injured his elbow during an exhibition game against the New York Yankees on March 13. He was throwing out minor leaguer Tyler Wade, who was attempting to steal second in the eighth inning. After experiencing elbow soreness that never went away, Vasquez had an MRI, which revealed ligament damage.

"[Vazquez] had some elbow soreness after the Yankees game, and based on how he was presenting, it wasn't a high-level concern," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said. "Of all the players in any spring training in baseball, there are not many who want to be out there more than him. So I think when he started saying he wasn't feeling comfortable -- he wants to be out there, this guy loves to catch -- so that was concerning, that he wasn't just progressing as well or as quickly as we thought.

"So we decided to do an MRI, and honestly when we did the MRI, we were hoping it would provide peace of mind. It obviously showed something we weren't expecting. My initial reaction was really more for the kid. This is someone, again, who really loves baseball, he loves the position he plays, it means a lot to him to be a catcher, a catcher from Puerto Rico, a catcher for the Red Sox, all those things. So I felt for him. OK, he's going to miss this time. He's going to come back, and he'll play. But I felt for him."

Ryan Hanigan will be the Red Sox's starting catcher on opening day. The Red Sox also acquired catch Sandy Leon from the Washington Nationals on Monday. Leon is expected to be the backup catcher while the club's top prospect, 22-year-old Blake Swihart will most likely start for Triple-A Pawtucket.

"Typically catchers take a long time to groom before they become what they are. We just have to stay patient," bullpen coach Dana LeVangie said Tuesday. "We know what (Swihart) is to us, we're just not going to be forced into something."

Before Vasquez was promoted to the majors, he played in 500 minor league games. Swihart has played in 307 games so far.

"We feel really good Hanigan is here," Cherington said. "Because when Hanigan is back there, we feel similar, in a different way than when Christian is back there, that the pitcher is going to come first. We are going to get good defense. We have someone who is going to help the pitcher get through a game."

Vasquez is on track to return in March of next year.