Dustin Pedroia isn’t done yet.
That’s just my opinion. But it’s an opinion based on what I know about Pedroia. And what I know about Pedroia is that it wasn’t easy to work his way into becoming one of the greatest players in Red Sox history.
Giving up, right now, would be the easy way out. I’m not sure the words “giving up” and “easy” are in Pedroia’s vocabulary.
Think about it. He’s 5-foot-9. At least, that’s what the back of the baseball card says. And at that height, as a professional athlete, nothing is easy. Forget about having success at the Major League level. How about just working to get the opportunity to play at the Major League level, at 5-foot-9?
I don’t mean to keep all of the focus on Pedroia’s height as we ponder his future. But it can’t be overlooked just how much more work someone of his size has to put in, in order to even be taken seriously by coaches and scouts and anyone else who’s judging potential MLB talent.
That’s not to say bigger guys don’t work hard. They do. But if you think the 5-foot-9 guy gets the same amount of attention as an equally-talented 6-foot-2 guy, then you’re just not living in reality.
Pedroia’s road to the Majors wasn’t an easy one. And then when he got there, he couldn’t just put it all into cruise control and let his talent take over. In fact, he had to put in even more work, in order to get Terry Francona to stick with him after hitting .182 in 55 at-bats in the month of April in his first full season with Boston.
Francona didn’t give up on him though, and Pedroia proved his manager right by hitting .415 in 65 at-bats in May. But again, none of that was easy.
Fast forward to May of 2019, and the 35-year-old Pedroia with a bad knee has an uncertain future. He said just as much in a press conference at Fenway Park on Monday, as he sat and answered questions about being placed on the 60-day injured list, with manager Alex Cora to his right, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to his left.
Pedroia’s left knee is still acting up, and a move to the 60-day IL will give him time to step away from his minor-league rehab stint and go home to re-evaluate where he’s at, both physically and mentally.
“It’s to a point now where my knee is not allowing me to play every day,” said Pedroia at Monday’s press conference. “It’s taken a while to realize that. And I’ve tried so many things, from braces to orthotics to rehab methods to seeing different doctors to every type of treatment possible.
“So, I’m at a point right now where I need some time. And that’s where my status is.”
Pedroia stood by his refusal to have another knee surgery, and when asked if he’ll ever play again, he said, “I’m not sure.”
But I’m sure he’s not done trying. If Pedroia was ready to call it quits, he would’ve announced his retirement right then and there at Monday’s press conference. Instead, he’s going to take some time off, re-energize the battery, and eventually take another shot at a comeback.
Pedroia didn’t exactly put it in those words. But if we’ve learned anything about him over the last 10-plus years, it’s that the next press conference you see from Pedroia won’t be one in which he’s retiring.
Because I truly don’t believe he’s ready to do that yet.
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