Why Boston Red Sox reinstated Dustin Pedroia from injured list

The Red Sox have added Dustin Pedroia back to the 40-man roster.

The Boston Red Sox made a series of moves on Saturday to reinstate several players who finished this season on the injured list.

Eduardo Rodriguez has been activated from the injured list and he’s expected to be ready for Opening Day after recovering from myocarditis. Andrew Benintendi, Colten Brewer, and Kyle Hart were reinstated from the 45-day injured list.

These roster moves were all expected but the next two might have caught some by surprise. Chris Sale was activated from the 60-day injured list despite that he won’t be ready at the beginning of next season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. As was Dustin Pedroia, who probably won’t ever play baseball again following three surgeries on his ailing knee.

Players on the 60-day injured list don’t count toward the 40-man roster. Now that he’s been reinstated, Pedroia is taking up a valuable roster spot despite that he isn’t expected to play next season. So, why did the Red Sox take him off the injured list?

In short, they had no choice. Teams are required to transfer players from the 45-day and 60-day injured lists back to the 40-man roster within five days after the World Series ends.

Sale will go back on the injured list before the start of next season, by which point they should have a firmer grasp on his timeline. If the Red Sox believe he won’t be ready before June, Sale will return to the 60-day injured list which would free up a 40-man roster spot.

The situation is more complicated with Pedroia, who has appeared in only nine games over the last three years and sat out the entire 2020 season. He’s entering the final year of his 8-year, $110 million deal that still owes him $12 million and he counts for over $13 million on next season’s payroll for luxury tax purposes.

The financial impact could limit what the Red Sox can spend this offseason but the roster spot that Pedroia is taking up also presents a challenge. Boston currently has 37 players on their 40-man roster but they have as many as six prospects to consider adding by next month’s deadline in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox are also expected to be active in free agency so some roster cuts will need to be made.

Pedroia could be one of those cuts if the Red Sox can reach an agreement with the veteran second baseman on a buyout. He’s not going to simply walk away from $12 million by retiring but he can still get paid most of that money in a buyout, which would reduce payroll for tax purposes and open a roster spot.

The Red Sox must tread carefully to be respectful to a player who has meant so much to this organization but a settlement with Pedroia is clearly in the team’s best interest even if it doesn’t save them money.

If Pedroia refuses a settlement then he’ll go back on the 60-day injured list when next season begins, opening a roster spot again. That doesn’t help the team now though. Keeping Pedroia on the roster could hinder Boston’s offseason strategy and potentially cost a deserving player a roster spot. Hopefully it won’t come to that but it’s a legitimate concern with the Red Sox forced to reinstate a player who they anticipate won’t be able to take the field next season.