Pedroia out short term
Escapes serious injury on HBP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The first indication that Dustin Pedroia might be seriously injured came when he starting spitting up blood. That’s when the Red Sox decided to get him off the field and to a hospital.
“They kind of freaked out and made me go get tested to make sure everything was OK,” Pedroia said.
Hit by a pitch in the back of his rib cage Sunday night in Houston, Pedroia was predictably out of the lineup last night for a 4-2 loss in the series opener against the Kansas City Royals. His back was bruised and swollen, but X-rays taken in both cities showed no broken bones, so the team is optimistic that the second baseman could play again as early as tomorrow.
“The way it was reacting and the quick swelling, we were fearing the potential of a fracture in there,” manager John Farrell said. “Thankfully there’s not, and we’ll get him back there when he’s first available.”
Initially, there was little to indicate anything serious had occurred. In fact, Pedroia seemed more angry than hurt.
In the seventh inning of Sunday night’s win against the Astros, immediately after Mookie Betts was hit in the right knee by a pitch, Pedroia was drilled. He began shouting at Astros reliever James Hoyt before finally going to first base.
Pedroia took second base on a Xander Bogaerts single and attempted to steal third but was thrown out. He played two more innings in the field before finally coming out and heading to the hospital.
“I mean, I was fine on the bases,” Pedroia said. “I tried to steal third, I was fine. And then the next inning, I was kind spitting up a little bit of blood.”
Wasn’t that a significant red flag?
“I don’t know, I could have bit my lip,” Pedroia said. “I don’t know, man. I just do it. Do what they told me. So, they just checked me out. Pretty swollen and big and gross.”
Said Farrell: “After he kind of stripped down in the tunnel, it was clear he had to come out of the game immediately. . . . It’s still going to take a few days here for him to get back to full mobility and be able to rotate as he normally does swinging the bat,” Farrell said.
Backup plan needed
With Pedroia out, the Red Sox played without a backup infielder, and catcher Christian Vazquez had to play an inning at third base.
Farrell has said the Red Sox would like to get back to a full bench, and they could bring up an infielder as early as today, with the extra reliever who’s no longer necessary shipped out. The team seemed to be working on moves in the clubhouse. Problem is, Deven Marrero, first baseman Sam Travis and first baseman/outfielder
Steve Selsky are the only extra infielders currently on the 40-man roster. Marrero is ineligible to be recalled so soon after being optioned to Triple A last Wednesday, Travis plays only first base and Selsky is an emergency third baseman at best. There’s not another obvious candidate at Pawtucket to plug the infield hole.
“Right now, with Pedey’s condition, we’re pretty thin as far as infield depth,” Farrell said. . . .
Facing a left-handed starter tonight in Matt Strahm, Farrell would like to give Mitch Moreland a day off at first base.
That could mean putting designated hitter Hanley
Ramirez back in the field for the second time in less than a week. Ramirez has yet to play the field this season without being injured immediately after, but Moreland is currently playing with a fractured big toe.
“I would like to get him off his feet,” Farrell said. “He needs it.”
If the team recalls Travis or Selksy, that would give them another righty-hitting option to play first.
Injury updates
If all goes well, Eduardo
Rodriguez could face hitters in live batting practice by the end of this week, putting the injured starter (knee) on track to begin a rehab assignment as early as next week. He has thrown two good bullpen sessions and slowly increased his agility work in the weight room.
“Live BP here (with the big league team) before we send him out,” Farrell said. “That’s either going to be Friday or Saturday, and then we’d get him out shortly after that.”
Starter Brian Johnson and reliever Carson Smith, meanwhile, have yet to begin playing catch again. Both pitchers have been shut down with sore shoulders.
“When we sent Carson back (to Boston), we’re still in that five-day period where we’re going to let things settle down and continue to go through rehab and strengthening,” Farrell said. “With Brian, same thing. No events that have changed the time clock on this.”