BOSTON — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Boston said Wednesday the procedure, a partial medial meniscectomy and chondroplasty, was successful and he is expected to be ready for spring training.

Pedroia batted .318 this season – his highest since winning the AL MVP in 2008 – and added 15 homers and 74 RBI. The Red Sox were swept in the AL division series by the Cleveland Indians.

CUBS: Chicago will start Jon Lester in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series, and the rest of their rotation depends on the health of Kyle Hendricks.

Hendricks left Game 2 of the division series against San Francisco when a comebacker went off his right forearm in the fourth inning. He had a bullpen session Thursday and the Cubs are waiting to see how he feels Friday before confirming their rotation.

If Hendricks is ready to go, he likely will pitch Game 2. The right-hander went 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 games at Wrigley Field during the regular season.

Lester pitched eight sparkling innings in the Cubs’ 1-0 victory over San Francisco in their playoff opener last Friday.

NATIONALS: Injured right-hander Stephen Strasburg would not be able to pitch in the NL Championship Series if Washington were to advance.

“We know he’s not going to be ready for the next series. You know, he’s progressing as well as we’d like. It’s never as fast as you’d like,” Nationals Manager Dusty Baker said Thursday before his club hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers in a win-or-go-home Game 5 of their NL division series.

“But again, he won’t be available for the next series,” Baker continued. “It would be a miracle if he was.”

That doesn’t really come as a surprise, given that Strasburg has been sidelined since hurting his pitching elbow in early September and cut short a bullpen session Tuesday.

The Nationals knew the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft would have to miss the NLDS, but they had been hoping he might become available if the NL East champions extended their postseason stay.

He threw his first bullpen session from a mound last week, exactly a month after his last regular-season appearance, then stopped another session a few pitches early because of what Baker said was discomfort in Strasburg’s elbow.

BRAVES: Closer Jim Johnson is guaranteed $10 million under his new two-year contract.

The 33-year-old right-hander went 2-6 with a 3.06 ERA this year and had 20 saves in 23 chances. He had been eligible for free agency.

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