Dustin Pedroia's return to the Red Sox lineup presents Alex Cora with a few possibilities. The second baseman is set to bat seventh, where he can provide another headache for opposing pitchers in the lower third of the order — the section of the lineup where things typically get easier for opposing pitchers. Even if Pedroia can't live up to that expectation, he has the bat control to play small ball and take advantage of runners on base.
"He gives me another chance to hit and run," Cora said. "Move guys over, put pressure on the opposition, something we haven't done. Obviously, with the scores, we haven't been able to play the offensive games that we did last year, so with him, I think in that spot I think we're going to be able to do that."
Regardless of how he hits, Pedroia's greatest impact won't be in the batter's box. The four-time Gold Glove Award-winner's hands are as smooth as any other middle infielder's in Major League Baseball. If his knee doesn't limit his range back too much, he can still be one of the best defensive second basemen in the game.
"Defensively, he's a plus," he said. "Nothing against the other two guys, they did a good job, (Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez), but Pedey's elite. He's elite at second base. He turns the double play, he makes the play to his left, he's a leader in the infield, he can slow down things for the kids out there. For the plus that he brings offensively, I think defensively he's going to be a game-changer for us."
Brian Johnson's injury not season-ending
Brian Johnson received an MRI on his throwing arm after hitting the 10-day disabled list on Saturday with left elbow inflammation. Although Johnson may need further time off, the results worked in his favor, as well as the Boston's.
The initial concern was Johnson had suffered a season-ending injury.
"It's not as bad as we thought it would be," Cora said. "Now it's just a matter of planning a map and go from there. But it's not . . . at one point we thought that it was the end of the season and that's not the case.
Brock Holt saw the eye doctor prior Tuesday's game, though Cora had not received an update on the utilityman's status prior to the manager's pregame press conference.
