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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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As the Boston Red Sox ramp up for what they hope is a productive season across all levels of the organization, an exciting catching prospect was dealt a tough setback.
Brooks Brannon, a 21-year-old backstop with a strong arm and some solid raw power, will have the start of his season delayed by several weeks. According to a report from Baseball Now's Andrew Parker, Brannon recently suffered a broken hamate bone and underwent surgery this week.
Hamate injuries have been a hot-button topic across baseball so far this spring, as major league stars like Corbin Carroll and Francisco Lindor have had the starts of their regular seasons jeopardized by breaking the small hook-shaped bone where the base of the hand meets the wrist.
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Brannon could miss anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on how his wrist responds to the surgery. Per Parker, the backstop was projected to begin the year at Double-A Portland.
Parker also reported that Brannon showed up to camp 25 pounds heavier this year than he was at the end of last season, and said he had spent the offseason working on swing decisions and increasing the amount of pulled fly balls he hit.
Last season, Brannon slashed .251/.308/.393 across 93 games with the Red Sox's Double-A and High-A affiliates. He hit 10 home runs, drove in 47 RBIs, and struck out 117 times.
While a delayed start to the season is never ideal, Brannon is still young, and the former ninth-round pick could still establish himself as a candidate for a future role on a Boston team that isn't flush with major league catching options. For that to happen, he'll need to hit the ground running at the plate when he recovers from surgery.
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