Boston Red Sox: The end is near for Dustin Pedroia

The end may have come for Boston Red Sox legend Dustin Pedroia, as he has once again suffered a setback in his rehab.

Time, eventually, comes for everyone. No matter how much we may hope to delay the inevitable, time catches up with all of us. Sometimes, the legends of the game can walk away before being the ravages of time catch up with them. However, for the most part, they are forced out the door, the game leaving them a shadow of their former selves.

This may be the case with Boston Red Sox legend Dustin Pedroia. He has once again suffered a setback in his rehab, his left knee refusing to cooperate. At this point, Pedroia is unsure of whether or not his career will be able to continue.

It is understandable why those thoughts would be in Pedroia’s mind. He has played only nine major league games since the start of 2018, with just three hits in his 34 plate appearances over that time. Even his minor league rehab was not going well, with just ten hits in his 49 plate appearances, with a double in the South Atlantic League his only extra base hit.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

If this is indeed the end, the last two seasons are not the way Pedroia should be remembered. He was far more than the player who has limped through the last two years, trying desperately to will himself through another game, another plate appearance even, with his body refusing to comply.

He was the heart and soul of the Red Sox over the past decade. A player known for his grittiness and toughness, Pedroia was a four time All Star and a four time Gold Glove winner. The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year, he won the AL MVP award in 2008. Pedroia got every ounce of talent he could from his body, playing hard and refusing to give in.

Ultimately, that hard-nosed style that made him such a fan favorite took its toll on his body. Pedroia has not been able to stay on the diamond, with just one fully healthy season since the end of 2013. While that may be the most recent memory of Pedroia, it is not the way he should be remembered. Instead, if his career is truly over, he should be remembered for that heart and hustle he displayed every time he put on his Red Sox jersey.

Dustin Pedroia was a great player for the Boston Red Sox. His injury woes over the past few years do not change that legacy.