Red Sox infield depth will be tested without Dustin Pedroia

The Boston Red Sox may be in trouble if Dustin Pedroia misses significant time with the wrist injury that forced him out of Monday’s game.

An already thin Boston Red Sox infield may be pushed toward its limits if Dustin Pedroia is forced to miss significant time with an ailing left wrist.

Pedroia exited Monday’s game in Chicago early after a collision with White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu while attempting to beat out an infield ground ball.

Both players appeared to be shaken up after the play, but Pedroia came away with the worst of it. You can see where he may have jammed his wrist while attempting to brace himself with his left hand as he came crashing to the dirt.

The veteran second baseman flew back to Boston on Tuesday for an MRI on his wrist. While x-rays came back negative, Pedroia felt more comfortable returning home for a full evaluation from the Red Sox medical staff.

The good news is that the injury doesn’t appear to be serious. In his weekly appearance with MLB Network Radio, manager John Farrell confirmed that the MRI on Pedroia’s wrist revealed no structural or ligament damage.

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Surgery that could threaten his season doesn’t seem to be necessary at the moment. Pedroia is still experiencing soreness and swelling in his wrist, which may result in a trip to the disabled list if it doesn’t subside soon. The Red Sox should expect to be without their starting second baseman for at least a few more days, while a DL stint will be warranted if the team believes he’ll be out much more than that.

In his absence, the Red Sox will rely on Josh Rutledge to cover second base. He’s having a solid season at the plate, hitting .292 in 48 at-bats, but all 14 of his hits have been singles. He also struggled in the field when tasked with filing in at third base, committing three errors in 12 games. He has much more experience in his career as a middle infielder, so he should be more comfortable at second.

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Beyond that, there isn’t much organizational depth for the Red Sox to turn to. Marco Hernandez is out after undergoing season-ending surgery. Brock Holt has been shut down for the foreseeable future after consulting with a concussion specialist when his symptoms didn’t clear up. Deven Marrero can play second base but the team needs him at the hot corner, at least until Pablo Sandoval is cleared to return. Given his dismal production during his minor league rehab assignment, the team isn’t in a rush to get the Panda back.

There aren’t any other infielders on the 40-man roster capable of playing second base. There also aren’t any second baseman in Pawtucket playing well enough to warrant making a roster move in order to add them. The Red Sox would have to be truly desperate to consider that option and would be better served exploring the trade market for a cheap veteran.

That shouldn’t be necessary as long as Pedroia isn’t sidelined for long. At this point it doesn’t appear he will be, although Boston will certainly be cautious with him. We saw how much Pedroia was affected at the plate attempting to battle through a wrist injury in 2014, when he posted the lowest batting average and OPS of his career before ultimately conceding to surgery that September.

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Boston will keep their fingers crossed that Rutledge can do a serviceable job of holding down the fort for a week or two and hope that they don’t suffer any more injuries in the infield. Otherwise this team may reach their breaking point at the position.