Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who left Wednesday’s game against the Yankees after feeling discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee, was placed on the injured list Thursday, the team announced, though he appears to have avoided "serious injury," according to The Boston Globe.
The #RedSox will place 2B Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day injured list with left knee irritation, effective today.
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 19, 2019
To fill Pedroia’s spot on the active 25-man roster, the club will recall RHP Marcus Walden from Triple-A Pawtucket prior to tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Red Sox made the move — citing "irritation" in the knee — after Pedroia saw specialists in New York on Thursday.
He left Wednesday's 5-3 loss after he flew out in his only at-bat in the top of the second inning. Eduardo Nunez replaced him at second base.
“He felt something weird in his knee,” manager Alex Cora told reporters afterward. “He finished the at-bat and came up to me, like, ‘Hey man, it didn’t feel right there.’ I decided to take him out.”
The Red Sox begin a three-game series against the Rays on Friday in Tampa. Losing Pedroia, who only recently returned to the lineup because of the knee, is just more bad news for a Red Sox team (6-13) that already has seen plenty of bad in 2019.
The negative 42 run differential for #Redsox now worst by a World Series champion through 19 games in #MLB history
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 18, 2019
And they are facing considerable problems as second base.
Although he replaced Pedroia on Wednesday, Nunez is batting back tightness. Brock Holt (scratched cornea), who the team had hoped would come off the injured list this weekend, reported not seeing well in a game Wednesday at Triple-A Pawtucket and won't be ready. Blake Swihart, who was capable of playing second in a pinch, was designated for assignment earlier in the week.
Things were so bad early this week that catcher Christian Vazquez, who played 4 2/3 innings at second base for Single-A Greenville in 2010, was forced to play the position Monday with a borrowed infielder's glove.
Cora said he would consider internal options from Pawtucket, most likely Tzu-Wei Lin, MassLive.com reported.
Pedroia has experienced issues with the knee since 2017 and missed all but three games in 2018 after undergoing cartilage restoration surgery.
He made his 2019 debut in Boston's home opener last week. A longtime fan favorite, he is just 2-for-20 with one RBI in the early going, starting four games at second base (counting Wednesday's short appearance) and two others at designated hitter.
