A weight has been lifted off Dustin Pedroia’s shoulders.

Pedroia’s 2014 season ended prematurely in September because of a thumb/wrist injury that required surgery. The Boston Red Sox second baseman provided an update on his status Wednesday and sounded very optimistic about his 2015 outlook.

“I feel great. I’m back to a hundred percent,” Pedroia said on WEEI’s “Middays with MFB.” “I’m doing all my lifts and everything. My rehab’s going good. I’m full strength and I’m pretty excited. It’s been a long time since I’ve been myself. It’s going to be a lot of fun next year.”

Pedroia earned his fourth career Gold Glove on Tuesday. It was a small consolation for an otherwise disappointing season in which the nine-year veteran posted career-lows across the board offensively. It was obvious that Pedroia’s ailment significantly hindered his performance at the plate, which was a stark contrast from 2013, when the 31-year-old pushed through an injury to enjoy a successful offensive campaign.

“It was just frustrating,” Pedroia said Wednesday of his 2014 injury, which limited him to 135 games. “The year before, I found a way to perform, playing nicked up. The year before, it was a loose feeling — I tore that ligament in my thumb and everything just felt loose, so I was able to figure it out and let the ball travel more and just try to slap balls the other way and get hits and not try to drive the ball.

“This year, it was more, I was restricted. I didn’t have any motion. It was so swollen and tight all year, I couldn’t get a feel of how to get through it. It was tough. I fought it all year.”

The Red Sox obviously need Pedroia to stay healthy. Boston’s offense struggled for much of 2014, causing general manager Ben Cherington to make wholesale changes with an eye toward the future. The Sox, who finished with a 71-91 record, were out of the playoff picture by mid July.

Pedroia, known for his hard-nosed brand of baseball, certainly deserves credit for gutting through an injury for a second consecutive season. The four-time All-Star is ready to move forward, though, and a clean bill of health could mean a return to form for one of Major League Baseball’s best second basemen.

“Now that it’s fixed, it’s night and day,” Pedroia said of his 2014 injury. “I can already tell that. There’s a lot of IOU’s to hand out to people, so I’m pretty excited about it.”

Photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images