It’s official: Dustin Pedroia will miss the rest of the 2014 season with news that the second baseman will undergo hand surgery today.
Pedroia had been reportedly dealing with this injury since April 4th, when he hurt his hand in a game against the Brewers, but much like last season, when he played 160 games despite tearing a ligament in his thumb, he has persevered. So much has he persevered, in fact, that most did not even know of his injury until Tuesday, when John Farrell announced there was a possibility that he would be shut down for the season.
It’s just a typical story for Dustin Pedroia, who has proven over the years to be one of the toughest and hard-nosed players in baseball, but if nothing else, it at least gives him an excuse for a down year in 2014. After all, while his season hasn’t been bad by any stretch of the imagination (Pedroia slashed .278/.337/.376 with excellent defense), that line is a far cry from his career numbers.
This news of a hand injury at least gives hope that, rather than this being the beginning of a sharp decline for the 31 year old Pedroia, he will be able to turn his performance around next season. Plus, having these last few weeks of the season off will give Pedroia a chance for a breather in a lost season.
With one additional place in the lineup open, the Red Sox will be able to experiment with more young players in these last weeks as the experiment that has been the second half of this season will continue in full force. Injuries are never good news, but hopefully this surgery will help Pedroia return to form in 2015 and become the elite second baseman that he has always been in the past.