The Red Sox might be losing one of their most valuable players.
According to the Boston Globe, Dustin Pedroia is heading to Boston today for an examination of his right knee, which might need surgery.
“It could keep me out a month,” the star second baseman told the Globe. “It’s not what I want. But I have to get it checked out. It’s been bothering me a lot.”
The second baseman has struggled this season, but is considered one of Boston’s emotional leaders. According to the report, Pedroia’s knee has been hurting since May 16 against Baltimore. The 2008 AL MVP also was limited to just 75 games last year because of injuries.
Pedroia, who went 1-for-3 with two walks in last night’s 11-6 Boston win, has destroyed the Yankees this season, hitting .500 (15-for-30) with eight walks in eight games. He will miss tonight’s series finale.
The combination of Jed Lowrie and Drew Sutton will back-up Pedroia. Lowrie, who has been dealing with an ailing shoulder, is hitting .292 with three homers, 23 RBIs and a .340 OBP. Sutton is 7-for-28 this season and has just 133 major league at-bats. In Triple-A this year, he was batting .307 with five homers and a .386 on-base percentage.