Red Sox place Dustin Pedroia on 15-day disabled list (again)

The Red Sox have placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 15-day disabled list as the hamstring injury that felled him one month earlier has reared its ugly head once more.

Coming into the season, the big question for Pedroia was whether or not he could stay healthy. Not just as a matter of games played, but of performance. And man, the early signs were fantastic. Pedroia's power was back! He was on pace for around 20 homers, looking every bit like the Pedroia of years gone by.

But Pedroia hit the DL in late May, came back to go 1-for-22 as the season died, and is right back out of commission in the blink of an eye.

Was this past week a matter of Pedroia coming back too soon? He's certainly the type to force himself back into action when he's not ready, and it would not be the first time his numbers suffered from it. Now, at least, with the Red Sox' hopes of contention in the past, he should at least be able to take whatever time he needs to be back to 100% before he returns.

As with the Red Sox, there's always next year.