Terry Francona. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Staying healthy's been a problem for Dustin Pedroia. The former MVP and four-time All-Star has been limited to 135 games or fewer in four of his last five seasons with the Red Sox.
Last year, the second baseball appeared in just three games following a knee surgery it turns out he wasn't quite prepared to return from.
Pedroia didn't take part, of course, but he won his third World Series with the team last October. The first came with Terry Francona managing, and the former Boston skipper told WBZ TV he's monitoring this situation closely.
"I've been pretty vocal about how special he is," Francona said. "If anybody can do something, it's him. And if he can't, it'll be because of the way he played for so long that it just beat the crap out of him. I'll be pulling for him like crazy."
In the last three season's Pedroia's played, he's still been a .300 hitter with an .800 OPS, and he's averaged an RBI every other game.
As usual, the gritty infielder who's been doubted throughout his life and career is out to prove everyone wrong.
He's been limited to weight lifting and rehab this offseason, and is scheduled to start running next month.
WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports