BOSTON � For just the fifth time this season and the sixth time since the start of last season, the Red Sox took the field at Fenway Park on Tuesday night without Dustin Pedroia in their starting lineup.

BOSTON � For just the fifth time this season and the sixth time since the start of last season, the Red Sox took the field at Fenway Park on Tuesday night without Dustin Pedroia in their starting lineup.

Pedroia at least was back with his team for the first time in over a week. The second baseman underwent surgery on his hand while the team was on an 11-day, three-city road trip, and that meant the team left its heart and soul behind in Boston.

�Not seeing your teammates is tough,� he said, �but that�s part of it.�

Sporting a soft cast that he�ll wear through the weekend, Pedroia rejoined the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Tuesday. He�ll begin strengthening work on his hand and wrist once the cast comes off.

�He�s still in the early stages of recovery and rehab, but everything that he has experienced following the surgery has been positive,� Boston manager John Farrell said.

That Pedroia underwent his surgery more than a week ago gives him a chance to have close to a normal offseason � a stark contrast to a year ago, when he said he was still rehabilitating from a November surgery when the season started.

�This isn�t like the last offseason,� he said. �I�m pretty excited about it.�

Pedroia has seen his offensive numbers fall in each of the last two seasons, an outcome that can be attributed in large part to his hand and wrist injuries. But he�s remained one of the game�s best defensive second basemen � if not the best. He ranks second to Detroit�s Ian Kinsler in Defensive Runs Saved this season, and he leads all second basemen in Defensive Runs Saved by a wide margin over the last five seasons.

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Brock Holt took batting practice on the field on Tuesday, the first time he�d done so since concussion symptoms sidelined him almost three weeks ago. Holt is not expected to play against Tampa Bay this week, but the Red Sox are optimistic that he is able to play in this weekend�s final series against the New York Yankees.

�We�ll get a read on him after today,� Farrell said.

After a terrific first half, Holt saw his offensive production fall off dramatically in the second half. He has hit .219 with a .278 on-base percentage and .271 slugging percentage since the All-Star break.

But Holt certainly has shown the Red Sox enough to expect him to be part of their team next season, and even a brief return to the field this weekend could provide a bit of momentum as he enters his first offseason as an established major-league player.

Mike Napoli likewise remains out of the Red Sox lineup with a litany of minor injuries to his back, toe and finger, but the Red Sox are hopeful he makes another appearance on the field this season.