Bobby Jenks came to Boston with high hopes and a right arm that was going to be a major piece of the puzzle for the Red Sox. Now, he's just trying to survive a litany of health issues, the latest of which is offseason spine surgery, that have made baseball secondary.
"Obviously it's very disappointing for me," Jenks said Saturday at Fenway Park. "I came here with a lot of expectations on myself and a lot of things that I wanted to do for myself and the team this year. It's just a lot of bad luck this year and one of those things I'll have to put aside, as hard as it's gonna be sitting there during the playoffs, but coming back next year and being the best I can be, and even stronger."
After a bout of colitis while on the disabled list with a back strain, Jenks said that doctors found two small growths on his spine that have caused a ligament to calcify, which in turn has led to nerve damage. However, surgery will not occur until after he clears up a pulmonary embolism discovered in his lungs.
The embolism was small by nature but gave the righty quite a scare. He is on blood-thinners now and hopeful that the condition clears in the coming weeks.
Once he was given that diagnosis, Jenks, who was still hoping to return to action up until a couple of weeks ago, put aside all thoughts of baseball.
"Very scary, because with something like that it can be very serious, obviously, but here I'm in great hands," he said. "All the doctors have been wonderful, been taking great care of me. It's been a little bit relieving as far as mentally-wise knowing that I'm in such good hands here."
Jenks said that in a week or two he may be able to begin exercising. The surgery will have a recovery time of weeks, not months, and the embolism is something that shouldn't impact him in the future. He said he was "very fortunate" that it was small in size.
As for his back, Jenks has had issues there off and on as a pro, but it was always considered musculature. By finding the growth and determining the cause, he may be able to root out that pain and not have to deal with it going forward.
He said the condition is very rare for pitchers, but the surgery should be quick and relatively easy to recover from.
The fact that one problem led doctors to find the other helped reinforce Jenks' faith in an otherwise trying year.
"I was going through a lot this year mentally," he said. "A lot of struggles, just trying to stay positive for so long. I've just come to the point where, being a spiritual person and a Christian I find myself very blessed that things happen for a reason. I was supposed to have back problems because this clot was supposed to be found. So I find myself very fortunate and blessed right now."
At the same time, he hopes his fortunes do turn around in time for spring training, where he expects to be healthy and ready to start fresh.
"I've got some good luck coming my way one of these years, for the next few years hopefully," he said.
