Red Sox prospect undergoes brain surgery

Highly regarded Boston Red Sox minor league prospect Ryan Westmoreland has undergone surgery in Arizona to remove a cavernous malformation in his brain.

The team made the announcement Tuesday night, saying a five-hour procedure was performed at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Spetzler.

A brief team statement said Westmoreland remains in the intensive care unit "but has come through the surgery well." It added that because of the complexity of the surgery, the 19-year-old outfielder will "face a difficult period initially before beginning his recovery."

Westmoreland is one of Boston's top prospects. He left minor league camp on March 4 and was diagnosed the following day at Massachusetts General Hospital.

A cavernous malformation of cavernoma is a cluster of abnormal or dilated blood vessels that effects the central nervous system. Symptoms can include bleeding in the brain, seizures and headaches.