It is impossible to add more insult to the injuries the Boston Red Sox have endured this season. None of them hurt more than the loss of Dustin Pedroia.
Considered the team’s (and arguably the city’s) heart and soul, Pedroia has been sorely missed since he fouled a ball off his left foot on June 25 in San Francisco. The second baseman broke his navicular bone on the play, and he was never himself the rest of the season.
Sure, he came off the disabled list on Aug. 17, but that was only for a mere two games, and he reinjured his foot. On Aug. 20, Pedroia went on the DL again and then had surgery Sept. 3.
So where is the three-time All-Star now? Recovering.
Pedroia is expected to begin his offseason workouts on Dec. 1, and manager Terry Francona has assured Boston that its beloved second baseman — who finished the 2010 campaign hitting .288 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 75 games — will be fine for the 2011 season.
In other injury news, Felix Doubront is resting his strained upper pectoral muscle, the Providence Journal reports. Doubront has not pitched since Aug. 31, and the Red Sox are proceeding with caution with the young left-hander.
“They want him to have a week down, no throwing,” Francona told the Providence Journal on Wednesday. “If there needs to be further scans, there will be. We’re going to treat this conservatively. There will be no medical visits or anything until he gets evaluated.”
J.D. Drew is day-to-day with a sore ankle. He suffered the injury in Oakland on Sunday while attempting to get back to first base.
Jason Varitek is 0-for-5 with a walk in two games since returning from a broken foot on Sept. 7.
