Hot Stove Lunch: Dustin Pedroia's latest setback likely means the end

For the past few seasons, Dustin Pedroia has tried gamely to continue his career.

He's undergone multiple surgeries and procedures and endured untold hours of rehab, all in order to get back on the field. In the face of all evidence suggesting a comeback was impossible, Pedroia kept trying. For that he should be commended.

But now, finally, it appears he's come to the end. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported Tuesday that Pedroia had suffered a "significant setback,'' in his efforts and was assessing what to do next with family members and representatives.



Pedroia, of course, hasn't been the same since a nasty takeout slide by Manny Machado. That was early in the 2017 season. Pedroia managed, somehow, to play 105 games that season. But in the two seasons since, he's managed to play in just nine games.

He had elected yet another procedure late last summer, believing he could still make it back on the field. But in the run-up to spring training, while rehabbing in Arizona, Pedroia encountered what looks to be his final roadblock.

His chances of returning to full-time player status were always slim; now, "non-existent'' seems like a better description.

All that's left for Pedroia is to determine how and when he announces the end of his career. No doubt, the Red Sox will acquiesce to anything Pedroia wishes when it comes to timing.

Pedroia should be remembered as a hard-nosed, winning player who might have been headed for a Hall of Fame career had injuries not derailed him. He wasn't perfect -- his comments in the aftermath of the Machado slide were, at best, ill-considered -- but he was a dedicated, All-Star whose place in Red Sox history is assured.

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