Caleb Durbin just had surgery on his right foot, and the details show a player who pushed past limits. The Red Sox confirmed the procedure happened on Thursday at a hospital in Chicago. This move fixes a bone issue along the outside of his foot. It was not a secret to the team, but fans only learned the truth after the season ended. The operation was a “partial excision of the fifth metatarsal base with tendon repair,” per The Boston Globe.
Many thought the pinky injury was his only major hurdle. That was wrong. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow admitted the team knew about the foot problem for a while. “It was an older injury that we were aware of,” Breslow said, per The Boston Globe. He added that the pain was manageable, so Durbin decided to keep playing. “The symptoms can be managed and he was adamant about playing through,” Breslow noted in a text to The Boston Globe.
A Gamer Mentality on Display
Durbin earned respect by ignoring the pain in his foot and his finger. He played through a left pinkie injury that required a reconstruction earlier this month. He also dealt with the foot issue that needed this new surgery. Dr. Anish R. Kadakia performed the foot operation at Northwestern Medical in Chicago. The team sent him there because the rehab is straightforward and he lives in Illinois. This choice shows they want him back fast for spring training. According to Yahoo Sports, many Red Sox fans have grown fond of that toughness during Durbin’s short stint in Boston.
His stats prove he kept going even when hurt. Durbin hit 13 home runs and drove in 64 runs despite the physical toll. He finished with a .248 batting average and a .710 OPS for the whole season. He was also a Gold Glove finalist for his defense at third base. Leading the league with 13 defensive runs saved shows he was sharp in the field. He played 153 games total, which is a huge number for a player dealing with multiple injuries.
With the 2027 season approaching, the Red Sox now anticipate fielding a completely healthy Durbin to begin play. The surgery aims to fix the symptoms so the foot is no longer a problem. He had his first surgery on Oct. 11 for the finger, and this second one came less than three weeks later.
