BOSTON’S PEDROIA IS BACK ON THE IL
The Boston Red Sox placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 60-day injured list Sunday, further putting in doubt whether the former AL MVP will play again.
The Red Sox made the move while claiming righthander Phillips Valdez off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
The 36-year-old Pedroia has played just nine games over the last two seasons.
The four-time All-star has spent the time trying to recover from an injury he sustained when Manny Machado, then with the Baltimore Orioles, slid spikes-high into his left knee in May 2017.
Pedroia has two years and $25 million remaining on his contract.
Earlier this month, new Boston manager Ron Roenicke said Pedroia wouldn’t report to spring training with the rest of the position players.
“When a guy just ages and then he’s not as good, that part’s easy to see. But not a guy who has an injury and because of it has not been able to perform,” Roenicke said at the time. “That part is really difficult.”
This was the third straight spring the Red Sox were hoping Pedroia could return to the lineup. They signed infielder Jose Peraza to a one-year contract in December, and Michael Chavis also plays second base.
Pedroia is the longesttenured player on the Red Sox roster. He was AL Rookie of the Year when Boston won the 2007 World Series, was AL MVP and the next season and helped the Red Sox win another title in 2013.
Pedroia had surgery after the 2017 season and admitted to rushing back the next year. He played in only three games in late May before going back on the injured list as the Red Sox posted a franchise-record 108 wins and another crown.
Last season, Pedroia played just six games. Over the winter, the Red Sox said Pedroia had incurred a “significant setback” in his comeback bid.
Fans cheer Fiers
Oakland Athletics fan K.C. Sandstrom was sitting down the right-field line watching his team, including Mike Fiers, warm up while armed with a small dry-erase board, a marker and a statement written in all caps.
“MIKE FIERS FOR PRESIDENT”
It’s been a tumultuous few months for Fiers, the current A’s pitcher and former Houston player who helped expose the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal that’s rocked Major League Baseball. But on a cool Sunday in Arizona, the 34-year-old received a largely warm reception during his first spring training appearance in Mesa.
“Oakland’s going to support us no matter what,“Fiers said after throwing two perfect innings against San Francisco. “They’ve always been there. It’s fun, it’s fun playing in front of these fans and with these guys. Just a great day of baseball.”
While Fiers is now widely known for his connection to the Astros’ sign-stealing, he’s also an accomplished pitcher. He’s thrown two nohitters over nine seasons and is coming off his best year in the big leagues — he finished with a 15-4 record and 3.90 ERA in a career-high 1842⁄3 innings in 2019.
The right-hander had a good start to spring, retiring all six of the Giants he faced. When the Oakland lineup was announced before the game, he received loud cheers from the A’s side of the stadium. The Giants’ side was a little less enthusiastic, but certainly not hostile.
Fiers’ role as the whistleblower in the Astros’ scandal has been met with praise and criticism.
Fiers said everyone is entitled to their opinion and he wasn’t concerned. “It’s all about going out there and playing baseball for everybody,” Fiers said.