ATLANTA — Having played through serious hand and wrist injuries for most of the past three seasons, Dustin Pedroia’s threshold for pain is beyond reproach.
But he doesn’t have superhuman healing powers.
So, if you thought the gritty second baseman’s return to the Red Sox’ lineup here last night after only a one-game absence was a sign that the inflammation in his sore left knee had magically disappeared, think again. With the Sox’ season slipping away, Pedroia is playing through pain yet again.
“My knee is pretty swollen,” Pedroia said after going 0-for-5 in another dispiriting loss, 5-2 to the Braves, the Sox’ eighth defeat in nine games, leaving them a season-high 11 games under .