BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Ryan Westmoreland has had the chance to take in a couple of ballgames, hang out with his girlfriend and see a movie or two since having brain surgery this spring.

When he’s not in physical, occupational or speech therapy, that is.

“When therapy time comes, it’s all business,” he said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. “But after that, I just try to be a normal 20-year-old kid.”

A fifth-round draft pick who was rated the No. 1 prospect in the Boston system by Baseball America, Westmoreland was expected to be in Single-A ball this season before he was diagnosed with a rare brain disease during spring training. He had surgery in March.

Since then, he has made what doctors have told him is “remarkable progress.” Westmoreland said he can do things now he couldn’t three weeks ago, and the advances are encouraging.

“I feel a lot better,” he said. “You can ask yourself, ‘Why me?’ But at the same time: it’s happened, there’s nothing you can do about it, just move on. … I’m just excited to keep it going.”

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Westmoreland was diagnosed with a cavernous malformation in his brain stem, a cluster of abnormal or dilated blood vessels that can cause bleeding in the brain, seizures and headaches. The initial confusion over the rare disease turned into fear as he learned more about its dangers.

“It started out not knowing much. It kind of went downhill from there, knowing all the risks,” he said. “I tried to keep an even head and stay positive.”

The Westmorelands have guarded their privacy while Ryan has been recovering, and Wednesday’s conference call was the first time they have discussed his injury.

“There were some tough days and nights and weeks,” said Ron Westmoreland, Ryan’s father. “Once the surgery happened and he came out of it OK … it got to a point where it was just positive, every day from that point on.”

Ron Westmoreland said his son has been able to do some light throwing and running. There is no timetable for his return.

“We’ll be here for him when he’s ready to return to organized baseball,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said.

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“The thing that stands out from our end is how proud we are of Ryan. It’s been really awe-inspiring. We knew we were getting a great kid from a great family. We knew we were getting someone who could handle adversity, but the kind of adversity we were imagining was a long slump.

“You never imagine one of your players having to go through this,” Epstein said. “On a personal level, it really makes you appreciate what we have in this organization as a family.”

Epstein said he was also proud of Westmoreland’s teammates.

“They never stopped working on the field. But when they came off the field, their concerns turned instantly to Ryan,” he said. “They’re not just teammates, they’re some of Ryan’s best friends and they care a lot for him, too.”

Westmoreland has been bombarded with messages of support from his former — and, hopefully, future — teammates, and he has also heard from people who don’t even know him. The Rhode Island native has been to Fenway Park, as well as Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket.

“You’re on the sidelines and you don’t really see yourself as part of the team. But they’ve been treating me as one of their own,” he said. “It was great to go up there, not knowing what to expect. But for them to be so welcoming was a great experience.”


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