Why Dustin Pedroia isn’t in the Red Sox Opening Day lineup
The 34-year-old second baseman won't be taking his spot on the field in the season-opener for the first time in more than a decade.
For Red Sox fans, Thursday may not yet feel like Opening Day for more than just off-field reasons.
It will also be the first time since 2006 that the Red Sox are not starting Dustin Pedroia at second base in the season’s opening game. Pedroia’s 11-year Opening Day streak at his position was second in team history, only to Carl Yastrzemski’s 12-year streak in left field from 1961 to 1972.
So why isn’t Pedroia starting Thursday? Casual fans may have forgotten that the 34-year-old had cartilage restoration surgery on his left knee late last October after the Red Sox were knocked out of the playoffs. Pedroia missed more than 50 games last season, mostly due to knee troubles. He said earlier last month that the doctor who performed his surgery told him the purpose of the procedure was “basically to give you tread on your tires.”
Pedroia was never expected to recover in time for Thursday’s season-opener and the Red Sox, in announcing their Opening Day lineup, said Thursday morning that he had been placed on the 10-day disabled list.
In his absence, the Red Sox are expected to start Eduardo Nunez at second base Thursday, making him the first player other than Pedroia to start at the position since Mark Loretta in 2006. Ironically, before Pedroia’s 11-year Opening Day streak, the Red Sox started 10 different players in the previous 11 years at second base.
Pedroia hasn’t yet put a target date on his return, but had returned to batting practice and some limited fielding drills as of last month, according to his manager and former teammate Alex Cora.
And Pedey is back to hitting. 😍 pic.twitter.com/1YnrA3wELe
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 28, 2018
Pedroia said last month that though the rehab process had been long, he felt he was ahead of schedule of the original seven-month forecast for his return.
“I don’t feel [pain] anymore,” he said at the time. “I think that’s why the decision to have the surgery was important. If I didn’t, it would be kind of an issue. My knee doesn’t hurt like last year, waking up and walking around was painful. It’s not fun to live your life like that.”
