Major League Baseball

Bailey to have right thumb examined

Published Apr. 1, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

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It was not the conventional way to discover an injury, but when Boston Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey experienced soreness in his thumb while squeezing a shampoo bottle he knew something wasn't right.

Bailey has left the team in Fort Myers, Fla., for Boston to get the thumb examined by doctors and, according to NESN, the injury could force the Red Sox to place the right-hander on the disabled list to start the season.

The cause of the injury remained a mystery, but Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine had a theory.

"Everything I've been searching my mind through -- you know, he had that collision at first base [in Bradenton, Fla.]," Valentine said of the spring training game on March 21.

"The only thing I can think of is he went down after the collision and with the adrenaline didn't even realize anything happened. But I don't know. I asked everyone if they saw anything, I asked the weight room and he doesn't have anything."

Pitching coach Bob McClure said Bailey first experienced the pain shortly after the incident.

"A couple days [after the collision], he was squeezing some shampoo, and said, 'Man, my thumb is sore,'" McClure said.

Bailey had a 3.24 ERA last season, converting 24 of 26 save opportunities.

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