Dustin Pedroia won’t be with the Boston Red Sox when they kick off the 2019 season next week, but the veteran second baseman might not be away from the club for very long.
Manager Alex Cora recently revealed that Pedroia won’t be available for the Red Sox’s first series of the new campaign: a four-game set in Seattle against the Mariners. Boston will stay on the road for another four-gamer against the Oakland Athletics followed by a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks before its home opener April 9.
It would be awfully ceremonious for Pedroia to make his season debut when the Red Sox play their first game at Fenway Park in 2019, and it sounds like it’s something that’s in the back of the four-time All-Star’s mind.
“So far, so good,” Pedroia told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on Thursday. “I’m still pushing. I’m always excited … There is a reward at the end of everything. To be able to be out there (at Fenway) and be ready to play, it would be awesome.”
Neither Cora nor Pedroia has indicated when the 35-year-old potentially could make his 2019 debut. But according to Bradford, there’s a plan set that would fulfill Pedroia’s desires barring any setbacks.
“If all continues to go well Pedroia would be playing his first back-to-back games March 28 and 29 with minor leaguers at Fenway South,” Bradford writes. “From there he would spend the following week continuing to build up while playing in Southwest Florida and then for a still-to-be-determined minor league affiliate when their season begins April 4.
“The plan as of now would be for Pedroia to join the Red Sox for his 2019 regular season action on April 9, the team’s home opener.”
There’s no doubt Red Sox fans will be on their feet April 9 when the club receives its World Series championship rings. The volume will reach the next level if Pedroia is introduced as part of the starting lineup before the Fenway Faithful.
