Dustin Pedroia will be back in action Thursday, but just not with the Red Sox.
Instead, he'll be with the Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A) as he begins a rehab assignment following feeling a "pop"in his surgically repaired left knee against the Yankees on April 17. Doctors determined there was nothing seriously wrong with his knee and his absence isn't expected to be a long one.
Manager Alex Cora said there's a plan in place and the ultimate goal is to get him back to being an every day player before returning.
"There's a plan in place and just like I said, he's going to push himself to be an everyday player," Cora said Wednesday. "That's something that we want, too. We talk about our situation, where we at roster-wise and all that and he agreed to it. He understands. For him too, it's good. That's who he is. Actually [Tuesday], swinging the bat, he looked better yesterday off the machine, using his legs, working on a few things.
"With Pedey, it's funny because he does everything game-like except BP and yesterday I talked to him a little bit. Just try it. It's good for you mechanic-wise what you're trying to accomplish, just let it go and he did. He was getting to the ball, hitting line drives all over the place. So hopefully he goes down there and everything is fine and whenever he's ready he's ready."
Given the Red Sox' situation with other injuries to infielders like Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez, whenever Pedroia does come back to the roster, they need him at full strength -- not only being able to play every other day, etc.
It is worth noting the team has received a major contribution from Michael Chavis since being called up.
In six games this season, Pedroia is just 2-for-20.
