Westmoreland out of ICU at Phoenix hospital

Mar 20, 2010 - 4:19 AM FORT MYERS, Fla.(AP) -- Boston Red Sox minor league prospect Ryan Westmoreland has been out of the intensive care unit and into the neuro rehabilitation unit at the St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix on Friday.

According to Dr. Robert Spetzler, Westmoreland's neurosurgeon and the director of Barrow Neurological Institute, Westmoreland will undergo physical and occupational therapy.

"Ryan is right on track and we expect progressive improvement," Dr. Spetzler said.

"We are thrilled for Ryan and his family that the surgery went so well," Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. "While we recognize that the recovery process is long and complicated, we are excited that all of the early indications are so positive. On behalf of the Westmoreland family, we thank everybody who has expressed concern and support for Ryan."

Westmoreland, a highly regarded 19-year-old outfielder, had surgery on Tuesday to remove a cavernous malformation in his brain.

A cavernous malformation of cavernoma is a cluster of abnormal or dilated blood vessels that affects the central nervous system. Symptoms can include bleeding in the brain, seizures and headaches.

He left minor league camp on March 4 and was diagnosed the following day at Massachusetts General Hospital.