Dustin Pedroia underwent a ‘joint preservation procedure’ on his knee
The Red Sox announced that Dustin Pedroia underwent a fifth knee surgery — this one a joint preservation procedure — Tuesday in Vail, Colo. The operation was performed by Dr. Matt Provencher at the Steadman Clinic. Pedroia will begin his rehabilitation in Arizona.
Dr. Christopher Geary, an orthopedic surgeon at Tufts Medical Center who has not treated Pedroia, described this type of operation as “a much bigger procedure’’ than anything Pedroia has had to this point.
“If he was 16, they do either knee replacement or a partial knee replacement,’’ said Geary. “But because of his age [35], there’s a relatively newer technique where they take what’s called a mega allograft. They take it from a cadaver and plug it in where the cartilage is no good.
“It’s a day-to-day-life procedure; it’s not a going-back-to-playing-sports procedure.
“It’s not compatible with playing high-impact sports.’’
Pedroia was placed on the 60-day injured list May 27 after struggling through a rehab assignment. In 11 games between Triple A Pawtucket and Double A Portland, the second baseman batted .189 (7 for 37) with no extra-base hits, one RBI, one walk, and seven strikeouts before pain in his knee forced him to the injured list again.
Since the end of the 2017 season, Pedroia has played in only nine major league games.
Dustin Pedroia’s injury timeline
2016: Pedroia plays 154 games and hits .318 with an .825 OPS and 12 defensive runs saved.
Oct. 12, 2016: Pedroia has left knee surgery to remove a section of meniscus and smooth arthritic joint surfaces.
April 21, 2017: Pedroia is injured in the eighth inning of a 2-0 loss at Baltimore. On a force play at second base, Manny Machado slides over the bag and spikes Pedroia in the knee. Pedroia misses 56 of the remaining 145 games, twice going on the disabled list.
Oct. 15, 2017: Pedroia has arthroscopic surgery to determine the extent of his injuries.
Oct. 25, 2017: Pedroia has what is termed “cartilage restoration surgery.’’ He also has microfracture surgery on his tibia.
May 26-29, 2018: Pedroia goes 1 for 11 in three games after coming off the injured list. He returns to the IL May 30 for the remainder of the season.
July 20, 2018: Pedroia has surgery in Arizona to remove scar tissue from his left knee.
Feb. 15, 2019: Pedroia says the cartilage restoration surgery was a mistake and he would not have undergone it had he known the difficulty in returning.
April 9-15, 2019: Pedroia returns from the injured list and goes 2 for 19 in five games.
April 17, 2019: Pedroia feels a pop in his knee taking a swing at Yankee Stadium in the second inning and leaves the game. He returns to the injured list the next day.
May 2-9, 2019: Pedroia plays in five minor league games.
May 13, 2019: Pedroia’s injury rehabilitation assignment is stopped because of what the Red Sox describe as “minor knee soreness.’’
May 17, 2019: Pedroia starts another injury rehabilitation assignment.
May 25, 2019:
During a game with Double A Portland, Pedroia takes himself out after two at-bats because of pain in his knee.
May 27, 2019: Pedroia announces he is stepping back and will reassess his situation and whether he can play again.
