The club is considering shutting down the ailing outfielder.
Boston Red Sox's Carl Crawford may be shut down to have Tommy John elbow surgery.NEW YORK - Decision time for Carl Crawford will likely come Monday.
The Red Sox medical staff, front office and Crawford will review whether the outfielder should undergo Tommy John elbow surgery immediately, ending his 2012 season.
"We have to make a focussed decision (Monday) on what's best for Carl,'' Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.
Crawford has been convinced he will need the operation at some point. He wanted to delay the procedure while helping his team chase a playoff spot.
But Boston's playoff hopes are bleak, and the risk of worsening his injury by delay is also being weighed.
"The (medical staff) will make a recommendation. Rarely is a decision like this made unilaterally by a team,'' Cherington said.
He stopped short of saying surgery is inevitable. He said the club had hoped to avoid that step.
More and more, though, the question of surgery has become more "when'' than "if.''
"This is a real injury. He's been playing through it for the team,'' Cherington said.
The Red Sox are off Monday. Crawford was in Sunday's lineup for what may have been the last time in 2012.
Even with David Ortiz sidelined, Cherington said using Crawford as a DH would not utilize the player's full set, nor would it allow him to move forward confidently. Crawford is signed with Boston through 2017.