Myron Hosea

Special to The Greenville News

Boston Red Sox star infielder Dustin Pedroia looked ready to go this afternoon as he prepared to play second base for the Greenville Drive in the team’s home opener at 7:05 p.m. versus West Virginia.

Pedroia will be in Greenville for the weekend on a rehab assignment as he makes his way back to the major leagues after battling a knee injury for the past two seasons.

“This is the last kind of step before I return to Boston, so I’m excited about it,” said Pedroia. “It’s been a long, long grind.”

He will bat second, which will bring him to the plate in the first inning in front of what is expected to be a standing room only crowd at Fluor Field.

The plan is for Pedroia to play tonight and Friday before taking Saturday off. He will then play Sunday. If all goes well, he likely will get the opportunity to join the Red Sox for their home opener at Fenway Park on Tuesday.

“My injury was tough,” he said. “There are not a lot of people who have gone through it, so there’s not really something to follow or things like that. We feel like we’re in the right direction now, and it’s going to be good going forward.”

Pedroia has not played at Fluor Field before, but plenty of his Red Sox teammates came through Greenville on their way to Boston. They let him know about playing here.

"It’s pretty cool,” Pedroia said of Fluor Field. “This is nice. They said it’s great. They were like, 'It’s first class. The best.'”