Red Sox Pedroia back on the DL

HOUSTON » Dustin Pedroia’s longawaited return from reconstructive knee surgery lasted just three games.

Saturday morning, the Red Sox placed Pedroia on the 10-day disabled with left knee inflammation retroactive to Wednesday, May 30. He hasn’t played since Tuesday, May 29 and will be eligible to return next Saturday, June 9.

The Sox and Pedroia had seemed so intent on making sure that he took his time in his recovery from surgery he had last October. He played back-to-back days last weekend, had Monday off, played Tuesday, rested Wednesday and was supposed to play on Thursday.

But he said he felt his knee start bothering him during warm-ups on Thursday. He kept pushing it, attempting to run down the line, but it didn’t get any better.

He was feeling frustrated, but understanding that his recovery wasn’t going to be smooth.

“I have to be honest with them right now,” Pedroia said. “They said this is a part of it. This is why you have to be honest, so they can catch it before you have to be down for a while. That was it. I just told them. They just said, ‘Hey, it’s part of it.’ They knew this was going to happen certain days and today was one of those days. It stinks but it is what it is.”

The left-handed hitting Brock Holt has been playing second base with Pedroia down. Right-handed hitting Eduardo Nunez and switchhitting Blake Swihart are options there as well.

It’s unfortunate timing for the Red Sox, who on Friday had to put Mookie Betts on the disabled list with a left abdomen strain.

The Sox called up first baseman Sam Travis from Triple-A Pawtucket because manager Alex Cora felt the Sox were too left-handed — they rank 27th in baseball with a .683 OPS vs. lefthanded pitching — but the team is clearly in need of a big right-handed bat, one such as Hanley Ramirez, who they designated for assignment last week and released on Friday.