Dustin Pedroia: Boston Red Sox Star Will Undergo Surgery on Finger

What is sure to be a very trying offseason for the Boston Red Sox begins in earnest with the news that starting second baseman Dustin Pedroia will have surgery on his right pinky finger to repair a torn ligament, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI. 

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The second baseman has been playing with the injury since July 29, when a ball damaged the finger while fielding a seventh-inning ground ball off the bat of New York's Mark Teixeira.

A pin will be placed in the finger by Dr. Donald Sheridan, who will take out the support after four weeks. The ligament proved to be a persistent problem throughout Pedroia's final 57 games, continuing to pop out. An MRI taken late last week revealed that surgery was needed. 

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Pedroia is coming off the worst full season of his career. His .290 batting average was his lowest since 2010, when he only played in 75 games. He also had the lowest on-base (.347) and slugging percentages (.449) of his career. 

The Red Sox are going to be like members of the CIA trying to redact a mountain of documents this offseason. They seem like they are just going to wipe the entire slate clean in order to forget what happened and put themselves in position to contend. 

Having a healthy and productive Pedroia in the lineup is paramount to that goal. The Red Sox freed up a lot of money thanks to the trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford. 

We will keep you updated on Pedroia's surgery and recovery process as more information becomes available.

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