Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia could decide by Wednesday if he will opt to cut his season short and undergo surgery in this left hand/wrist, while the New York Mets have already shut down third baseman David Wright for the year. The only good news lies with the New York Yankees, but it may be too late.
If Pedroia goes under the knife it will be the third consecutive season in which he has gotten hand surgery and his fifth operation overall. Last year he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and in 2012 he was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right pinky finger. In 2010 the second baseman required surgery to repair a fractured navicular bone in his left foot and in 2007 he underwent surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist.
He's been playing through his current injury, but an MRI conducted on Tuesday showed more inflammation in the area, which could increase his chances of requiring surgery. "[My hands are] the most important part of my game, that's the tough part," said Pedroia, in this ESPN article. "It's one little thing here and there that can affect you."
There's also news regarding two stars in New York. The Mets have shut down third baseman David Wright for the season due to persistent inflammation in his rotator cuff. The sore left shoulder has bothered Wright for most of the year, which has significantly contributed to his less-than-himself .269 batting average to go along with just eight home runs and 63 RBIs in 134 games. The team said he will begin a six-week program to rehab and strengthen the shoulder in hopes of avoiding surgery.
Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has heard better news than Pedroia and Wright. New York manager Joe Girardi said on Tuesday that the right-hander could be one rehab start away from returning to the rotation. Prior to the team's game on Tuesday night, Tanaka threw a three-inning simulated game against four batters at Yankee Stadium and said he felt good after the 45 pitches. After his first simulated game on August 28 in Detroit, Tanaka reported feeling general soreness and was shut down for a week. But now that he feels good, the Yankees want to get him on the mound as soon as they can to see how healthy his arm is and whether or not he'll require surgery on his UCL.
If Tanaka gets the expected five days of rest prior to his next simulated start, he could be back for the series against the Toronto Blue Jays from September 18-21. New York sits 5 ½ games behind the Detroit Tigers for the final AL wild card spot.
