FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) 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 right-hander 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 Baltimore’s Manny Machado 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 longest-tenured 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.
Pedroia is a four-time Gold Glover with a career .299 batting average, 140 home runs and 725 RBIs.
The 28-year-old Valdez made his major league debut last season. He was 0-0 with a 3.94 ERA in 11 relief appearances for Texas. The Mariners claimed off waivers from Texas in November.
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