Dustin Pedroia acknowledges possibility of retirement saying he's 'not sure' if he'll play again
Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia acknowledged in a Monday news conference he’s “not sure” if he will play again, yet also hasn’t “thought about retirement” while trying to come back.
Pedroia was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday after pulling himself from a rehab stint in the minors. He is still trying to come back from an October 2017 surgery to his left knee.
Pedroia: ‘Indefinite break’ from rehab
Pedroia spoke to reporters at Fenway Park alongside manager Alex Cora and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski before the team’s Memorial Day matinee. The 35-year-old said walking is tough and he is taking an “indefinite break” from rehabbing, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
“My knee will never heal. We’re taking the time right now to find out if I can play again,” he told reporters.
Pedroia: “Time will go on and I’ll know more about it. I haven’t sat down and thought about retirement. I just now that right now I need a break from the everyday stresses and dealing what I’m dealing with.”
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 27, 2019
Pedroia acknowledged retirement for the first time and said time will provide the answer to if he can continue playing baseball or not. He said, per MassLive, he’s tried various braces, orthotics, methods, doctors and treatments, but his knee “is not allowing me to play every day.”
Pedroia stops rehab stint
Pedroia felt soreness Friday and exited the fourth inning of a rehab game with Double-A Portland, per MassLive. It was his first game with the team after five games in six days with Triple-A Pawtucket. Pedroia told the site his knee was “cranky the whole day.”
Cora said Saturday, per MassLive:
“It’s another red flag. We talked a little bit last night. We talked this morning. He didn’t feel right yesterday. He’s not going to push it. He’s not going to make it worse. Yesterday, he didn’t feel right and decided to stop playing.”
An initial rehab stint in the minors the first week of May was also cut short due to soreness. The 2008 AL MVP played only six games at the major league level this year before re-injuring the knee at Yankee Stadium in April 17. He went on the 10-day IL.
He played only three games last season and has stopped rehab assignments before as he works back from the Oct. 25, 2017 surgery for a knee cartilage restoration.
Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in 2004 and won two World Series titles. He’s a four-time all-star with four Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger honor.
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