Dustin Pedroia Injury: Update on Boston Red Sox Star's Thumb Injury

UPDATE: Thursday, July 19 at 2:05 p.m. ET by Timothy Rapp

Good news, Red Sox fans—Dustin Pedroia's stint on the DL is over. From Rob Bradford of WEEI.com:

"

According to a major league source, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is on track to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday night, with corner infielder Mauro Gomez being sent back to Triple-A Pawtucket to clear a roster spot for the three-time All-Star.

Pedroia, who earlier this month thought he might be on the disabled list for a few weeks to a right thumb injury, will beat that timetable by returning on the first day of his eligibility to come off the disabled list.

"

With Boston right in the thick of the Wild Card race, the quick return of Pedroia is just what the doctor ordered for the Red Sox.

----------END OF UPDATE----------

UPDATE: Saturday, July 6, 4:10 p.m. ET by Ben Chodos

Dustin Pedroia's doctors are not taking any chances with his injured thumb.

ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes reported that the second baseman is optimistic but will be put in a cast.

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Pedroia said "surgery not required..I'll be back.'' But in a cast for at least 2 weeks

— Gordon Edes (@GordonEdes) July 6, 2012"

The injury comes at an unfortunate time, as the Red Sox are set to kick off a four-game series against the New York Yankees.

The former MVP will certainly be missed against the AL East leaders and for the remainder of the time that he is out.

---------End of Update----------

The Boston Red Sox are in trouble.

According to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, second baseman Dustin Pedroia is heading to the 15-day disabled list:

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Dustin Pedroia headed to 15-day disabled list, according to major league source #RedSox

— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) July 5, 2012"

Pedroia jammed his thumb in Tuesday night’s loss to the Oakland Athletics, and the pain only got worse. He sounded discouraged about it when speaking with reporters before the DL announcement (via the Boston Herald):

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I don’t know, man. It’s pretty frustrating. It was fine during the game (Tuesday) night, and then I was sore after the game and now I’m pretty sore. It’s just pretty frustrating. It stinks.

"

This is a big setback for Pedroia, who missed six games last month after tearing an adductor muscle.

It's also a crushing blow for a Red Sox team that has scored 14 runs in its last seven games. Despite Boston’s offensive woes, Pedroia was in the midst of batting .302 (13-for-43) with seven RBI in his last 11 games.

He was one of the few bright spots for a team that has lost five of seven games and finds itself 7.5 games out of first place in the American League East heading into Thursday night’s games.

What It Means

The Red Sox infield is in deep trouble right now.

Third baseman Will Middlebrooks is still on the mend with an injured left hamstring, which means Mauro Gomez will not be able to fill the void at second.

That leaves utility infielder Nick Punto with the task of holding down the fort for Pedroia, a former MVP. Punto is currently hitting .180 with seven RBI and 25 strikeouts in 89 at-bats.

Sure, Pedroia is experiencing a down season (.266 average, six home runs, 33 RBI, .326 OBP), but he remains the most vaunted player in a lineup that is still tied for second in baseball in runs scored (411).

The daunting task of leapfrogging three teams in the AL East just got much more difficult.

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