Dustin Pedroia likely needs surgery

The Guru
Contributing Writer

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has played all season long with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb. The Sox second baseman suffered the injury on Opening Day against the Yankees.

Despite the injury, Pedroia has appeared in 158 of Boston's 159 games this season. While we never had to start a Buchholz-like watch, the injury is serious enough that, as Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports, Pedroia will likely need surgery to repair the damage once the Sox season ends.

Pedroia said,

"It's going to be the same until it gets fixed. So I'm going to play and then they'll fix it."

Recovery time will be about eight weeks.

"If you're an everyday player, nobody is 100 percent," Pedroia told WEEI. "You're going to have something, so you have to figure out how to perform within your ability and play well.

For the season, Pedroia is hitting .298 with a team-high 187 hits, 42 doubles, 87 runs scored, nine homers, 83 RBI and 17 stolen bases. His 709 plate appearances is third in all of baseball.

Thumb or no thumb, Pedroia is going to be in there as the Red Sox pursue another World Series title.

"If I'm out there impacting games and helping us win, that's what I do."

Follow The Guru on Twitter @TheGuruGS
More musings from The Guru.