DENVER -- His name was written in pen on a sign over his locker. His Boston jerseys neatly dangled inside on hangers.
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was back with the Red Sox -- if only for a quick visit. He hobbled through the clubhouse Tuesday on crutches, his surgically repaired left knee on the mend.
Pedroia really doesn't think about hitting so much these days as simply not hurting. He's hoping the latest surgery on his troublesome knee allows him to throw batting practice with his kids pain-free one day. That's really the extent of the plans for the 36-year-old Pedroia, who has been limited to nine games over the past two seasons.