As Dustin Pedroia crumpled to the batter’s box dirt at AT&T Park, the spirits of the Red Sox also no doubt sank a bit with him.
The 2008 AL MVP had just slammed a foul ball off the instep of his left foot. While the throbbing pain did not prevent him from finishing his at-bat (he took a ball to conclude a walk), Pedroia hobbled miserably towards first base and was quickly removed from his club’s 5-4 loss to the Giants. (Recap.)
After the game, Pedroia offered a not of cautious optimism. He declared a few times that he would “be alright,” and Sox manager Terry Francona told reporters that initial X-rays did not reveal a fracture, though the team planned to conduct further tests on Saturday to verify that initial diagnosis.
Pedroia described himself as being sore, and he had both crutches and a boot on his left foot in the clubhouse after the game. His prescription for the night was simple.
“Just ice, elevate and pray,” he told reporters.
That approach – at least the latter element of it – was one that he was not alone in pursuing. The rest of the Sox seemed to be holding their collective breath while trying to figure out when their second baseman would be returning.
The timing of the blow was particularly cruel, given the offensive run that Pedroia has been on. Since June 10, he was hitting .491 with a .548 OBP, .849 slugging mark and 1.397 OPS. He had delivered a monumental 5-for-5 game with three homers on Thursday night.
The thought of losing Pedroia even at a time when he was slumping offensively would have been challenging enough to the Sox, given that he finds ways to contribute meaningful defense. But the fact that the club might also lose the second baseman at a time when he was on one of his scorching stretches at the plate added to the disappointment in the injury.
"Obviously he's red-hot right now," Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield told reporters. "His bat out of the lineup if he's injured would be a devastating blow. Obviously he's probably going to be out [Saturday] and Sunday, and hopefully there's really nothing wrong with him and he can take the next three days off because we have an off-day coming home and be ready to go on Tuesday. We have our fingers crossed, that's for sure."
Making matters worse for the Sox is the fact that their middle infield depth is less than stellar. Super-utility player Bill Hall moved to second base for Pedroia on Friday night. There are a few limitations associated with having him play second base on an everyday basis:
--He has played just 19 games at the position since the start of the 2006 season. Perhaps because of that relatively limited time at the position, he had a mental lapse at the position on Friday night. On a ball hit up the middle on which a runner on first was going in the bottom of the eighth inning, he fielded the ball on the shortstop side of second base and then attempted to reverse direction and tag the bag.
He was too late for the force out, and the extra steps also resulted in his throw to first being too late to record even a single out. As a result, there were two on and one out, instead of a man on second and two out. That proved costly when the next batter hit a sacrifice fly for an insurance run that proved crucial in San Francisco’s one-run victory.
--Hall is too valuable in his ability to move all over the field to lose his super-utility ability by pegging him to one position.
--While Hall’s offensive profile as a backup (a .230 average with a .329 OBP, .730 OPS and five homers) has been solid, such a line would represent below-average production for an everyday second baseman.
While Hall is an imperfect solution as an everyday second baseman, the Sox don’t have any viable alternatives for such a role in the minors, either. Indeed, the organization’s middle infield options in the upper levels of the minors right now offer little more than short-term fill-ins.
Shortstop Jose Iglesias, currently on the disabled list for Double-A Portland, is not an option while he recovers from a fracture in his right index finger. Even if he were available, the Sox would rather not rush the defensive whiz (who moved all around the infield in Cuba) to the majors, instead preferring that he have the opportunity for a normal developmental progression in the minors.
In Triple-A, the Sox feature a number of offensively limited players. The players whom the Sox are most likely to call up would appear to be Gil Velazquez (.277/.358/.319/.677) or Angel Sanchez (.274/.348/.327/.675). Sanchez has played second base sparingly in his 10 professional seasons, and while Velazquez has seen slightly more regular time at the position, both players would represent significant offensive and defensive downgrades from Pedroia.
The same can be said of Pawtucket’s current primary second baseman, Niuman Romero (.247/.321/.308/.629) and the deeply slumping Tug Hulett (.166/.289/.302/.591).
Put simply, the Sox do not have a viable option as an alternative to Pedroia should the second baseman miss any significant length of time. As such, the team would likely be forced to explore the trade market for second baseman should he land on the disabled list.
There are some attractive options available on the trade market. Both the Orioles, who feature second baseman Ty Wigginton, and Diamondbacks, who have Kelly Johnson, are open for business in the trade market.
The 28-year-old Johnson has an impressive 13 homers this year as part of a .268/.371/.502/.873 line, though it is worth noting that his numbers have been modest since a white-hot April, and most of his offensive production has occurred in his home park; on the road, his OPS is below .700.
The 32-year-old Wigginton is likewise enjoying a good season, hitting .270/.354/.480/.833 for the lowly Orioles. However, like Johnson, his performance has been dipping since a tremendous start to the season. He is hitting just .230 with a .601 OPS and no homers in June. Moreover, he is considered a defensive liability at second base, and according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, the asking price for him is quite steep, with the O’s seeking a young shortstop (Iglesias being the only Sox player above Single-A to fit that profile).
All of that makes for a somewhat dark forecast for the Sox should Pedroia be sidelined for any extended stretch. That said, the team can, at least, take solace in the fact that it performed at an extremely high level during a stretch when the second baseman was an offensive non-factor.
Over 25 games from May 12 to June 9 -- a stretch of 25 games immediately preceding his current hot streak -- Pedroia hit .168 with a .280 OBP, .257 slugging mark and .537 OPS. During that time, the Sox managed to get enough offensive contributions from other parts of the lineup that they forged an 18-10 record.
All the same, the fact that the Sox endured a rare period of poor production by Pedroia does little to alter the fact that the team would just assume not have to explore what life is like without the two-time All-Star, who is currently hitting .292 with a .370 OBP, .502 slugging mark and .871 OPS, 12 homers and eight steals.
Pedroia, obviously, is a vital part of what the Sox do, and there are few obvious alternatives that would represent anything but a significant drop-off. And so, as the Sox await the results of further tests on the second baseman’s foot on Saturday, it seems safe to say that they will be doing so anxiously.