Dustin Pedroia is spending the pandemic like the rest of us — hunkered down with his family and leaving the house for shopping trips.
Unfortunately, he doesn't sound any closer to playing baseball.
Speaking to reporters on a Zoom conference on Tuesday, Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said he has communicated with the injured second baseman via text, and that the status quo remains in place.
Get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App
"He's doing well with the family," Roenicke said. "I don't want to speak for him, but he's still not at a point where he's thinking about trying to be ready to come back and join us, but he's doing well. He's Mr. Mom now, going to the store and doing the shopping for the family, and I know that's not very comfortable, because I've been to the store a couple of times and it's actually really stressful."
Pedroia's career appears effectively to be over, thanks to a chronic knee injury that has not responded to surgery or rehab. Injured on a questionable slide by Baltimore's Manny Machado in 2017, Pedroia has been limited to just nine games over the last two seasons, going 2-for-20 last season before shutting it down, possibly for good.
The former Gold Glover and MVP is still signed through the 2021 season, when he's set to earn $12 million. He's unlikely to take the field again, but that's a secondary concern, given the state of the rest of the world as we battle the Covid-19 virus.
"I think where he is in his career with his family, he's just trying to make sure everyone's healthy right now," Roenicke said.