Dustin Pedroia. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Red Sox are 28-13--half-game behind the Yankees for the best record in Major League Baseball--and there's help on the way.
Dustin Pedroia began his rehab assignment for Triple-A Pawtucket yesterday and went 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored in five innings of work playing second base.
How did it go?
"First game in a long time, so everything felt great," he said. "I'm pretty happy."
Did he have any specific goals for the outing?
"Yeah, I mean, just play," he said. "It's been a while, so, I felt good up there. I hit three balls in the barrel, so I'm happy with that. Obviously, I gotta get some more at-bats to lock in, but everything went great."
Red Sox Feeling Good About Themselves At Quarter-Mark Of Season
All right, so Dustin will play again tonight for the PawSox, then take a couple days off. He hasn't played all season after surgery on his left knee last October.
Any timeline for his return?
"I'm following the plan that they put together, so, whatever they have planned," he said.
So, not yet.
Pedroia's a four-time All-Star, but was limited to 105 games last year because of that knee. He batted .293 with 62 RBI.
His Boston teammates will host Oakland again tonight at 7:10 p.m. Eduardo Rodriguez is set to oppose Daniel Mengden.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman reports