BOSTON — This time, it was Dustin Pedroia himself declining to guarantee he would return to action at any point during the 2018 season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that he “hoped” the second baseman would be able to come off the disabled list down the stretch and help Boston make a drive deep into October. Left knee inflammation following offseason cartilage restoration surgery has kept Pedroia off the field since his pregame work May 31 at Houston, and there is no official timetable for his return.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia looks on from the dugout before a game last September at Fenway Park in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Pedroia departs for Arizona on Friday and will stay there to fully focus on his rehab, leaving the clubhouse he’s called home since his 2006 big-league debut. A week spent in New York with his surgeon, Dr. Riley Williams III, and consultation with Red Sox medical staff have given Pedroia an idea of the work that needs to be done.

“It stinks leaving the guys, but it’s kind of the right thing to do,” Pedroia said beforfe Wednesday’s series finale against the Rangers at Fenway Park. “I can concentrate on my rehab and not have to split it up throughout the day.”

Pedroia began what he hoped would be a comeback to regular action by spending time at extended spring training in Fort Myers and two weeks at Triple-A Pawtucket. His Boston return lasted just three games (one hit in 13 at bats), with Pedroia reporting discomfort to the Red Sox ahead of the series opener with the Astros. He was crestfallen in the visiting clubhouse the following day and has been in something of a holding pattern ever since.

“It’s a process,” Pedoria said. “I’ve seen a lot of doctors. I’ve seen a lot of rehab people and gotten their thoughts. After learning a lot about it, I think the bottom line is when I came back and played – from what we were told, since I’m a smaller guy – they thought I could play during parts of healing. I did for a little bit. Then I started to have discomfort. That’s just a sign that you have to wait until everything has healed all the way and then build up a running progression and things like that so you don’t have any setbacks.

“It’s just time, which sucks,” Pedroia continued. “Obviously I’m not the type of person to hear that correctly. None of us are, because when you’re told a timetable to come back you feel like you failed if you didn’t reach that timetable. That’s really not it. When everyone wanted me to have this surgery it was not only to be healthy for the rest of my career but the rest of my life. It’s something that I have to let heal and then build up.”

Strengthening the muscles surrounding the joint will be a focus for Pedroia, who turns 35 in August and has three years left on the contract extension he signed with Boston prior to the 2014 season. Both he and Cora shifted tone noticeably early this week, beginning to speak more in future terms through 2021 than the final 69 games of this regular season. Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez have drawn the bulk of the playing time at Pedroia’s spot in the infield.

“I’m disappointed I’m not playing now,” Pedroia said. “That’s a part of it. But you can’t do anything else. I watch every pitch. I’m in every pitch with the guys. It’s a lot easier going through it when we’re (35) games over .500 or whatever we are. That’s the good part.”

Pedroia said he’s in less pain than at the end of May, but an absence of pain will be required to put him back on the field. Along with teammate Steven Wright, Pedroia represents something of a test case for a procedure usually performed on basketball players. The knuckleballer also finds himself on the disabled list while battling similar left knee inflammation.

“It’s just the body telling you it needs time to fully heal all the way, and we’ll follow it through MRIs and things like that,” Pedroia said. “And once it is, I’ll know. When I’m healed all the way I’ll start dominating the exercises and play as fast as possible.”

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