Dustin Pedroia continues to face an uphill battle.
Boston Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran confirmed Thursday in an email to MassLive.com that Pedroia suffered a “significant setback” in his quest to return from a left knee injury.
This confirms a previous report from The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham, who reported Tuesday that Pedroia’s availability for at least spring training is questionable and that the second baseman is discussing potential options with his family, agents and the Red Sox organization.
“We can confirm that Dustin has suffered a significant setback while rehabbing his left knee injury. As a result, his status for spring training is uncertain,” O’Halloran wrote, per MassLive.com.
Pedroia, who has battled many injuries throughout his career, has been limited to just nine games since 2017 because of ongoing issues with his knee. He admitted back in May he wasn’t sure whether he’d ever play again, but things seemed to be trending in the right direction this offseason before the most recent setback.
Pedroia, who turns 37 in August, has averaged 72 games and 324 plate appearances per season since the start of 2015. He last earned an All-Star nod in 2013 and a Gold Glove in 2014. The Red Sox could lean on the combination of Jose Peraza and Michael Chavis at second base in 2020, after a 2019 campaign in which Chavis, Brock Holt, Marco Hernandez and Eduardo Nunez primarily were responsible for holding down the fort.
Pedroia has two years and $25 million remaining on his contract.
