BOSTON — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has three options for the remainder of 2014: Play, rest or undergo season-ending surgery.
An MRI performed Tuesday revealed further inflammation in Pedroia’s left hand/wrist area. Red Sox manager John Farrell didn’t rule out shutting down Pedroia for the season while discussing the injury before Tuesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Pedroia echoed his skipper’s sentiments while talking to reporters following Boston’s 4-1 loss.
“It’s been pretty inflamed, so we try to manage it the best we can,” Pedroia said. “It just gets to a point where obviously it hurts. It’s tough going out there and trying to do what you’re accustomed to doing and you can’t.”
Pedroia played through an injury all of last season after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on Opening Day. He underwent surgery shortly after the Red Sox’s World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals but never fully recovered given Boston’s shortened offseason.
“I fall down a lot. I dive around and do things,” said Pedroia, known for his hard-nosed style. “It’s just unfortunate that when it happened I was still rehabbing from my thumb surgery and I just kind of fell awkwardly and that area got pretty inflamed.”
Pedroia’s injury became an issue again this season after he was taken out by Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez while attempting to turn a double play during the Red Sox’s home opener April 4. He again played through his ailment, but it clearly has hindered him offensively, as Pedroia’s numbers are down across the board despite his stellar defense.
“I’ve been kind of dealing with it for most of the year. But that’s part of the job,” Pedroia said. “The training staff and everybody’s done a great job getting me out there. Obviously, dealing with little injuries and things like that is a part of it and you’ve got to try to find a way to play through it.”
Pedroia said a decision could be made regarding his status for this season as soon as Wednesday, as the organization is in the process of discussing his options with 17 games remaining. The 31-year-old said he’d be open to having surgery as soon as possible, as it would allow him to hit the ground running for 2015.
“If there was a surgery, it wouldn’t be major,” Pedroia said. “It’s one of those things that it’s kind of I think a release or something to get the inflammation out of there. If that were the case, I’d have a normal offseason and be able to lift weights, which is something I didn’t get a chance to do very much last offseason.”
While sitting out the rest of this season makes the most sense for Pedroia’s long-term health, the four-time All-Star doesn’t want anyone to misinterpret his absence for “packing it in” with the Red sox in last place.
“It’s tough. You want to be out there playing,” Pedroia said. “I always say I love playing baseball and I love being out there with my teammates, so it’s tough.”
