BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher John Lackey will need Tommy John surgery and will likely miss the entire 2012 season, new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.

Lackey recently received an MRI and was examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles, and it was decided the pitcher would undergo the procedure. A date for the surgery has not been set.

"John Lackey pitched through circumstances this year that I don't think any of us can fully understand, and he got beat up for it a little bit," Cherington said. "This guy was dealing with stuff both on the field and off the field that were very difficult, and he showed tremendous toughness pitching through that."

Early in the season, Lackey experienced tightness in his right elbow, underwent an MRI and was placed on the disabled list. Cherington explained that the results from that MRI didn't show much change from the original one Lackey had before the Red Sox signed him to a five-year, $82.5 million contract prior to the 2010 season.

So Lackey and the Red Sox decided to take a conservative approach through rehab to deal with the injury.

Lackey finished the first half of the season with a 6-8 record and a 6.84 ERA. After going 7-1 over nine decent starts in July and August, he staggered through the end of the season as part of the Red Sox's well-documented September collapse.

"He came back and pitched pretty effectively for a while, and his stuff came back for a period of time after that," Cherington said. "Toward the end of the year it began bothering him a little bit more. He made that last start in New York and actually pitched pretty well but was battling it."

When the season ended, Lackey was sent back to Los Angeles to be examined by Yocum and had another MRI taken. After Yocum compared the two MRIs, it was decided Lackey would have the procedure.