Red Sox place Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day disabled list; Re-call Bobby Poyner

It’s been a rough weekend for the Red Sox, and it only got worse prior to Saturday’s game. After putting Mookie Betts on the 10-day disabled list — which came after he sat for ten days on the active roster — just minutes before Friday’s game, the Red Sox placed Dustin Pedroia back on the 10-day disabled list Saturday afternoon. Bobby Poyner has been called up to take his spot on the roster.

This is obviously not what the Red Sox were hoping for, as Alex Cora made a point multiple times to say that they did not expect or want Pedroia to go back on the disabled list after returning. He had said that he would rather the veteran take longer to get back to ensure that when he’s here, he’s here to stay. Well, he played for a few games after returning last weekend, but he’s been feeling soreness in the knee that kept him out for the first two months of the season. It’s been bad enough to keep him on the bench for a few days, and apparently the inflammation is bad enough that he’ll miss at least another week on the disabled list.

The other part of this to look at is obviously the cost of bringing Pedroia back. That is, Hanley Ramirez. The 1B/DH was, of course, designated for assignment when the veteran second baseman was brought back from his initial DL stint. Ramirez hadn’t been providing a ton at the plate, but with both Pedroia and Betts on the bench the Red Sox offensive depth isn’t what it was just a week ago. If both of these injuries, or maybe even just one of them, are short-term stints then this won’t be a huge issue. However, if the ailments to Betts and Pedroia linger, things could start to get a bit dicy. For now, the Red Sox have the depth to make it through this and they need to focus on both players being ready for the long-haul rather than just worrying about the short-term future.

With Poyner coming up for Pedroia, the Red Sox do have an extra pitcher and one less position player on their bench than usual. Given the versatility they have, however, and the lack of long outings of late from their rotation, it’s understandable to bring up another arm to help the bullpen on a short-term basis. Don’t be surprised if we see Lin replacing Poyner if these injuries do linger, though.