BOSTON — Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell will have surgery to repair a ligament in his right thumb, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Saturday night.

Lowell plans to have the operation after Christmas and his recovery is expected to take six to eight weeks, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not made an announcement.
The news means Lowell is staying in Boston, at least for now. The Red Sox had been set to trade him to Texas for catcher Max Ramirez — if the Rangers were satisfied Lowell was healthy.
The 2007 World Series MVP saw a hand specialist Friday in Arizona and then Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister on Saturday.
“I expect we’ll still add to the club in a few spots,” Texas general manager Jon Daniels said. “We’ve been in regular contact with guys we’re interested in and I like our options. Fortunately for us, the market is relatively strong in the areas we’re looking at.”
The 35-year-old Lowell batted .290 with 17 homers and 75 RBIs last season while hobbled by hip and thumb injuries. A four-time All-Star, he is a .280 career hitter with 218 homers and 926 RBIs in 11-plus major league seasons.
Lowell came up with the New York Yankees in 1998, appearing in eight games. He spent the next seven seasons with Florida before being traded to the Red Sox with Josh Beckett in a November 2005 deal that sent Hanley Ramirez to the Marlins.