Dustin Pedroia returns to Boston, knee surgery possible

Entering the season, we knew that Dustin Pedroia's surgically repaired left foot was going to be an issue. He told us as much, way back in January. Pedroia then added a right knee injury to the medical chart in mid-May, and he's headed back to Boston for an exam and possible surgery.

This from the Globe's Peter Abraham:

Pedroia was injured May 16 when he fell on his knee fielding a ball against the Orioles. He described the procedure, which will be done at Massachusetts General Hospital, as a "needle with a camera on it" that will determine the extent of the damage.

If necessary, Pedroia then would have the surgery immediately.

"It could keep me out a month," he said. "It's not what I want. But I have to get it checked out. It's been bothering me a lot."

It's obviously too early to speculate on the nature of the injury, which might not be anything too serious (in the office pool I've got "partial meniscus tear"), but this clearly isn't great news.

Pedroia has been a perfectly ordinary hitter this season, and he's batting just .244/.337/.372 since suffering the knee injury. He's been an asset in stolen bases, surprisingly enough (13), but he hasn't been carrying you in any other categories. It's not like you're trying to replace Brett Lawrie here. Just calm down.

Second base hasn't been the trickiest position to fill this year, so unless you're in an A.L.-only format or some other monstrously deep league, you'll have solid replacement options. The Red Sox will presumably go with a Jed Lowrie-Marco Scutaro middle infield alignment if Pedroia misses significant time. Lowrie has been mass-dropped in fantasy in recent days, because he's dealing with a not-too-serious shoulder issue.

If Lowrie isn't available to you, then my preferred short-term Pedroia replacement would be Seattle prospect Dustin Ackley. (Of course the Mariners would have to accommodate us by actually calling up Ackley, which they have not yet done. Small detail). Over his last five games at Triple-A Tacoma, Ackley has gone 10-for-20 with a triple, two homers, six RBIs, eight walks, and nine runs scored. So he seems just about ready. His season slash line is now .305/.421/.504. He's hit nine homers and swiped six bags.

Other potential replacements include Danny Espinosa (34 percent owned), Ty Wigginton (17 percent), Ryan Raburn (24 percent), Freddy Sanchez (25 percent), the mildly injured Allen Craig (22 percent), Brent Lillibridge (4 percent), Alexi Casilla (9 percent), Ryan Theriot (32 percent), and recent Oakland call-up Jemile Weeks (0 percent, on waivers). And if you're a desperate A.L.-only owner, you can give Tribe call-up Cord Phelps a test drive. He's expected to get playing time against RHPs; Phelps was hitting .299/.391/.488 at Triple-A Columbus before his promotion.

So you've got options, Pedroia owner. Feel free to scheme and/or complain in comments...

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Photo via AP Images

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