Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin underwent surgery last week on the left pinky he played through for more than three months, the team announced Sunday, according to reporter Mac Cerullo.
The operation ends a stretch in which Durbin never landed on the injured list, even as the finger would not fully straighten or bend, according to The Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier.
Dr. Matthew Leibman performed a left fifth finger PIP joint reconstruction at Newton-Wellesley Surgery Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts, according to “Section 10” podcast host Tyler Milliken on X. The club expects Durbin to have a normal offseason and be ready for spring training.
Red Sox’s Caleb Durbin Finger Injury Timeline
The trouble began June 24 in Denver. Durbin slid headfirst into first base in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies, and the pinky bent the wrong way.
“His pinky was kind of facing a direction it shouldn’t, and they were able to pop it back in,” manager Chad Tracy said, according to MLB.com.
X-rays showed no fracture. Durbin admitted he panicked at the sight.
“Probably won’t do it again anytime soon,” he said.
He aggravated the same finger Aug. 6 against the Chicago White Sox. New X-rays again found no fracture, and he was told that playing came down to pain tolerance, according to Speier.
The numbers moved in the opposite direction. Durbin entered the June 24 game hitting .218/.273/.362, according to CBS Sports. Over his next 82 games, he hit .272/.377/.391.
September was the lone dip, at .195/.389/.293.
Once the season ended, the wait did too.
“We were kind of putting it off to the end here, and I guess this is the end,” Durbin said, as quoted by Healey.
Boston Red Sox’s Caleb Durbin Career and 2026 Production
Durbin grew up in Lake Forest, Illinois, and studied economics at Division III Washington University in St. Louis. The Atlanta Braves took him in the 14th round of the 2021 draft, according to WashU Magazine.
The New York Yankees added him to their 40-man roster in November 2024 after he finished the year at Triple-A. He then set an Arizona Fall League record with 29 stolen bases.
“I think he’s a stud, frankly,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that month, as quoted by MLB.com.
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired Durbin on Dec. 13, 2024, along with left-hander Nestor Cortes, for closer Devin Williams. Durbin debuted April 18, 2025, hit .256 with 11 home runs and 18 steals, and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Boston landed him Feb. 9 in a six-player trade. The Brewers received left-hander Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan and David Hamilton, while the Red Sox also got Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and a Competitive Balance Round B pick, according to The Associated Press.
This season, Durbin hit .248/.332/.378 with 13 home runs, 64 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 153 games. His strikeout rate of 13.5 percent sat well under the 22.2 percent league average.
At third base, he started 147 of 151 games, fielded .972 and saved 13 runs defensively. His six outs above average led American League third basemen in mid-September, according to Speier.
Durbin remains pre-arbitration, with arbitration eligibility in 2028 and free agency in 2032. He earned $796,000 this season, according to Spotrac‘ contract data.
Red Sox Announce Caleb Durbin Injury Update 12 Days After Playoff Elimination