Dustin Pedroia is back on the injured list as the Red Sox made room for a new pitcher.
Boston has claimed right-handed pitcher Phillips Valdez off waivers from the Seattle Mariners, the team announced Sunday. As a result, Pedroia now finds himself on the 60-day IL as he continues to battle a nagging knee injury that’s forced him to miss all but nine games since 2017.
The #RedSox today claimed RHP Phillips Valdez off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox placed 2B Dustin Pedroia on the 60-day injured list.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 23, 2020
Valdez, 28, made his Major League Baseball debut June 8, 2019 with the Rangers before the Mariners claimed him off waivers on Nov. 1. He earned himself a 3.94 ERA in just 11 games (16 innings) and 18 strikeouts out of Texas’ bullpen last season, though he went 1-7 for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate Nashville Sounds during the same stretch.
This is not the first time Pedroia has landed on the 60-day IL thanks to his knee. The second baseman has been struggling to get his knee squared away since having his first surgery on it back in 2016, missing the vast majority of the Red Sox’s games since then. He recently suffered a “significant setback” on the progress of his injury.
