Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, in his weekly appearance on WEEI's The Big Show, said that Dustin Pedroia is showing early signs of healing from his torn adductor muscle in his right thumb, giving the team confidence that the second baseman might not need to be placed on the disabled list.
"We just had a meeting before I came here, [GM Ben Cherington] and I and Dustin. He’s on the mend. He heals pretty quickly. He’s a determined guy," said Valentine. "I don't think he's going to have to swing for a day or two, but I think he’ll be back a lot sooner than projected."
Valentine said that Mike Aviles will bat second on Wednesday night, and that the team expects Nick Punto to be able to fill in while Pedroia is down.
"I don’t think there will be anything in stone," Valentine said of who will handle second base. "We’ll have to be flexible and adapt to playing without Dustin. ... We got [Punto] to be the backup in the middle infield. He had a nice little game last night and I think he can perform. No one can perform at Dustin’s level. We don’t want to say he’ll fill the void. But I think with him performing and the other guys filling in, we'll be fine."
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