Terry Francona, who missed large parts of the past two seasons for medical reasons, told reporters on Wednesday he's hoping to return as manager next year and a medical appointment next week could be the determining factor.
"That's a big appointment by the doctor's admission," he said. "We get through that day and things should be OK.
"Barring anything unforeseen, I'd really like to come back and be healthy enough to embrace what the job entails and go through it with people that I enjoy and respect."
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.