Red Sox’s Lackey to have Tommy John surgery

BOSTON — Red Sox starter John Lackey will undergo Tommy John elbow surgery and miss the 2012 season.

Boston general manager Ben Cherington made the announcement Tuesday during a news conference at which he was introduced as the successor to Theo Epstein, who left to become president of baseball operations with the Chicago Cubs.

Lackey, a right-hander, was 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA in the second year of a five-year, $82.5 million contract. The Boston Globe reported after the season that he and fellow starters Josh Beckett and Jon Lester drank beer in the clubhouse during games in which they were not pitching.

Cherington said the surgery would be performed in California by noted orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum but he did not know when.-