Dustin Pedroia's return to the Boston Red Sox took a major step forward with the team's second baseman playing five innings during his Minor League rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday night.
The veteran went 1-for-3 with a single. Defensively, his lone action was fielding a pop-up.
Pedroia is rehabbing his left knee after he underwent a cartilage restoration procedure this offseason.
"After I got out there in the first inning, I didn't think about my knee one time," Pedroia told reporters, via RedSox.com. "That's when you kind of know you're good. So just continue going. Hopefully tomorrow I feel better than I did today and get after it.
"I'm fine now. I don't have any issues. I think the work that we put in to get to this point, that's the reason why. You're going to see the same guy you've seen play for however many years I've played."