While it's still far too early to tell how his recovery will go, those involved say that Sox outfielder and Rhode Island native Ryan Westmoreland continues to progress well following brain surgery and so far all the signs are positive.

Westmoreland underwent a five hour surgery Tuesday to remove a cavernous malformation from his brain stem.

The first few days of feedback are important to determine what level of damage, if any, the malformation caused on the brain stem, a delicate area which controls motor functions throughout the body, as well as vision. It will take weeks and then months to fully determine whether Westmoreland suffered serious damage that will affect his quality of life.

It is certainly possible that Westmoreland could make a full recovery and then even resume his professional baseball career. At the moment, however, those involved are concerned with assessing his levels of function, and any insight about his playing career will come much later.

The former Portsmouth High star, 19, began complaining of headaches and numbness several weeks ago, and left spring training March 4 to undergo more thorough examinations in Boston. A cavernous malformation is a mass of tiny blood vessels that forms in the brain, surrounded by a membrane. They are present in roughly .5 percent of people, but they are not dangerous unless they bleed. In Westmoreland's case, it did, requiring its removal.