By Jordan Long
The Boston Red Sox sit at 65-29, 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for 1st place in the American League East. They were hopeful to have 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia back this season. He has been on the disabled list since June 2nd.
Pedroia is still recovering from reconstructive offseason surgery on his left knee. He missed all of April because of it. Doctors cleared him to play on May 26th but hasn’t seen action since June 2nd. Pedroia appeared in 3 games and was ineffective at the plate with a .091 average in 11 plate appearances. It was clear something was still wrong with his knee and Boston had no choice but to place him on the disabled list.
According to ESPN, Pedoria said, “I’ve healed quick with every other injury I’ve had. But this is obviously different. You can’t risk it. If I come back too early and the graft fails, then that’s it.”
Pedoria is being smart with the injury. The Red Sox know he can help this team when he is 100%. Pedoria isn’t ready to perform at a high level. That was clear when he appeared in 3 games. He is thinking about the rest of his career and not this season. Pedoria is signed through 2021.
The Red Sox need to let him heal. They can’t afford to send him out in the field to be hurt again. It is possible he might be able to play again this season. Pedoria is heading to Arizona to continue rehab his left knee. They will know more in 4 to 5 weeks and by that time, the Red Sox may have to shut him down for the rest of the year.
The Red Sox don’t need Pedoria at this time. They are in decent shape to make the postseason. They will need a healthy Pedoria in the postseason to help them win a World Series title. If he is unable to play this year, they are still a team who can win it all.
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