Dustin Pedroia has had a tough road to recovery over the past two years. But it appears he finally is headed in the right direction.
The Red Sox second baseman, who has played in just nine games over the last two seasons, has given Boston “every indication” that he wants to play in 2020. But he knows he’ll eventually need a knee replacement and still has a “long way to go” with his rehab. And while he’s not entirely sure what his baseball future his holds, Pedroia revealed he’s keeping no secrets from his team.
During an appearance on WEEI’s Rob Bradford’s “Bradfo Sho” podcast, Pedroia said the Red Sox know everything about him during his rehab.
“I’ve been around long enough so that I’m close with everybody in our organization,” Pedroia told Bradford, as transcribed by WEEI. “They know what I’ve gone through. They know everything about me. We’re always in touch. Part of roster-building … I’ve never had any say in any of that. Obviously, that’s their job. Right now my job is to try and get healthy and try and help us. Obviously, if I’m 100 percent and I can play baseball, I’ll be alright. But if it’s like last year and I’m trying to go out there with bones sticking out of the side of my knee and all that, yeah we should probably make an adjustment.”
The 36-year-old also admitted he’s in a “better place” now.
“Right now I’m in a better place physically than when I was trying to play,” Pedroia said. “One hundred percent. I’m 40 percent stronger than I was last year. I was trying to play with a leg that looked like my 10-year-old.”
There are a number of questions surrounding the Red Sox heading into the 2020 season. And while we likely won’t know for a while whether Pedroia will begin the season on the roster or on the injured list, it’s obvious he’s taking the necessary steps in order to make a comeback.
