Dustin Pedroia’s Season Finally Put To An End

Sep 1, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman

(15) looks on from the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2014 season finally nearing its end, the Boston Red Sox will shut down Dustin Pedroia who is getting season-ending surgery on his wrist.

After some deliberation, the Red Sox and Pedey finally came to their senses and decided to have the second baseman get his surgery now, as opposed to waiting until the offseason.

If there were a stat for “games played through injury,” there is almost no doubt in my mind that Pedroia would league all active players in that category. Both last year and the season before, the second baseman played through an assortment of relatively considerable aliments including chipped bones in his wrist.

Now tell me, what Boston Red Sox superstar had his career cut short by a devastating injury to his wrist…? Nomar Garciaparra. While Derek Jeter and even Alex Rodriguez (technically) are still yet to retire, the former All-Star has been out of baseball for nearly four seasons and while other injuries helped end his career abruptly, it was the night he was hit on the wrist in Baltimore that truly put a stop to his career remaining significant.

At age 31, Dustin is no spring chicken. He has played in over 1,151 games during the regular season, in addition to 44 postseason contests. He has to know there is really no reason for him to get back on the field this season, especially considering there are younger players looking to make an impression on the front office. Him getting surgery could be the best thing to help him bounce back and prove any doubter he may have, like ESPN.com’s Gorden Edes.

Take into account that this season was one of Pedroia’s worst at the plate since he came into the league and it may be time to put 2014 behind him. Red Sox Nation wants the Pedey we are familiar with, not just a guy who hits closer to .300, but a guy who looks a bit less frustrated because of his team’s success and offers some great smiles in the dugout while congratulating others on their success.

Pedroia can still be a factor without stepping onto the diamond by mentoring young guys like Mookie Betts and others. The young talent on the Red Sox roster can use guys like Pedey and David Ortiz to show them next year what winning is all about and it would have been hard to do that if one of your team leaders is getting wrist surgery in May or June.