BOSTON — Dustin Pedroia’s 2014 season could be over.
Pedroia has been battling a left hand/wrist injury since the middle of the season, according to Red Sox manager John Farrell. An MRI performed Tuesday revealed further inflammation, and Farrell didn’t rule out potentially shutting down the second baseman for the remainder of the season because of the injury.
“He’s been getting treatment on it for some time now and as it’s probably worsened some, we felt like he needs to give this a little bit of a break,” Farrell said before Tuesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Pedroia dealt with a left wrist injury earlier this season after being upended at second base on a slide by Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez during the Red Sox’s home opener April 4. Farrell said Tuesday he wasn’t sure how much of a correlation — if any — there is between that incident and another play this season in which Pedroia also fell awkwardly on the wrist during a double play turn.
“He fell on it again. But to say it’s a recurring symptom of those two events, that’s hard for me to distinguish,” Farrell said.
It’s unclear when the Red Sox will make a decision regarding Pedroia’s availability for the final two-plus weeks, but the club has every intention of making sure he’s not being put at further risk, especially given that Boston currently is in last place in the American League East.
“It hasn’t been determined if he does continue to play, does it put him at further risk? I don’t think the medical staff is saying he’s at further risk,” Farrell said. “It’s just to the point where the discomfort is there and we’re taking some time now to gather all the information and lay out the best plan going forward for him. His long-term health is the most important thing, and that will always be kept in the forefront.”
Pedroia tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during the first game of the 2013 season. He ended up playing through the injury all season before undergoing surgery shortly after the Red Sox’s World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
“Last year, because we played an extra month, could he (have) used more healing time and rehab time? Probably,” Farrell said. “But to say that there’s a change in the protocol of a rehab or an overall strengthening, I don’t know of anything that would alter the course of what he’s done in the past and what he’ll continue to do going forward.”
Farrell was unwilling to speculate Tuesday whether Pedroia’s current injury is related at all to last offseason’s repair or whether the four-time All-Star will need to undergo a procedure this time around. It’s obvious the 31-year-old has been hindered offensively, though. Pedroia is hitting .278 with seven homers, 53 RBIs and a .712 OPS — all well below his career averages — in 135 games this season.
“It’s had an impact. There’s no doubt,” Farrell said. “To what extent, it’s hard to say. But like I said, he’s dealt with this for some time.”
