" Carlos Delgado won't play for the Red Sox this season.

Delgado, who signed a minor-league contract last month with the hope of being a left-handed-hitting complement to fill-in first baseman Mike Lowell, has a small tear in his left hip, according to his agent David Sloane. Delgado had been with Triple-A Pawtucket, but he left the team yesterday to be examined by Dr. Marc Phillipon in Vail, Colo. He's expected to return to Pawtucket today to begin reviewing treatment options. Surgery isn't being ruled out.

"He's extremely disappointed," Sloane told the Herald. "It would be tough for a human being to not be disappointed. He wouldn't be human if he wasn't very upset about it."

Delgado, 38, began feeling discomfort in his left hip a few weeks ago. Within the past year, he has had two surgical procedures on his right hip, which hasn't given him any problems recently. An MRI exam was negative, and Delgado received a cortisone injection to relieve the pain. When the condition persisted, he went to see Phillipon, who performed his previous hip surgeries."