FORT MYERS, Fla. — Dustin Pedroia’s first game in nearly 10 months couldn’t have gone much better – even if it lasted just one inning.

Pedroia cleanly fielded a two-out grounder by Minnesota’s Jake Cave, then singled off Kohl Stewart leading off the bottom half of the first inning of Boston’s 12-1 loss Thursday.

Dustin Pedroia is congratulated by Red Sox first-base coach Tom Goodwin after hitting a single in the first inning Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. Associated Press/ John Bazemore

“It made me happy to run around the bases,” Pedroia said. “It was really fun out there.”

A four-time All-Star and the 2008 AL MVP, Pedroia’s knee problems began with a spikes-up takeout slide at second base by Baltimore’s Manny Machado on April 21, 2017. Pedroia went on the disabled list three times that season – twice because of knee inflammation – and had left knee surgery that Oct. 25.

He played in five injury rehabilitation games at Triple-A Pawtucket last May, appeared in three games for the Red Sox from May 26-29, then went back on the disabled list for the rest of the season.

“I just need to keep building on this. I hadn’t seen a pitch since May 29. Everything went well,” Pedroia said.

Pedroia, 35 and a veteran of 13 seasons, was restless Wednesday night.

“I rolled around the bed a lot,” he said. “The adrenaline was OK. I was taking it in stride.”

Pedroia moved around the infield as part of Boston’s defensive shifts, going across to the shortstop position when right-handed hitters were at the plate.

“That wasn’t a problem. We practice it every day,” he said. “And besides, I was always a shortstop before coming up here.”

THOUGH HE’S been suspended twice in two years, once for domestic violence and once for performance enhancing drugs, Steven Wright is still being viewed as a potential contributor for the 2019 Red Sox.

Thursday morning, Manager Alex Cora reiterated that he’d support Wright as the knuckleballer attempts to rehab from a knee injury and eyes a mid-season return in June.

“He’s part of the team,” Cora said. “The suspension is what, 80 games? He’s still part of the organization. We have to make sure he’s healthy, goes through the progression, just like every other player that has been suspended. You go through the list. They come back and they play. Obviously, we know already he isn’t going to be part of the playoffs. If we’re dancing in October he’s not going to be part of that. We have to make adjustments.

“Too bad that it happened, but we still have to get him ready, because if he’s healthy and he’s ready to go, he might be part of this roster in the second part of this season.”

It was announced Wednesday that Wright violated the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy and was caught with Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide 2 in his system, from what he says was an offseason drug test.

It’s the second straight spring he’s been suspended. He was suspended 15 games before the 2018 season for violating the domestic violence policy.

Wright apologized for becoming a distraction but has not spoken to the team in a formal setting.

“He hasn’t asked me to have a meeting, but I know he’s talked to players,” Cora said. “I think that’s the right way to do it.”

Cora was asked if he might need to have a conversation with Wright about the base level of integrity the manager expects from his players.

“We talked a little bit yesterday,” Cora said. “We’ll talk today. He knows. They know what I expect out of the players. Be genuine, responsible and transparent. I said it in November 2017, and I stick with that, besides the other stuff that I believe in. We’ll talk. There’s not much we can do right now. He’s suspended. He talked yesterday about it. Now we have to move on.”

As the Sox look to find a replacement in the bullpen, they’re hoping Ryan Brasier continues to rehab from a toe infection. Brasier threw a bullpen session Thursday morning for the first time since the infection.

Matt Barnes threw his first live batting practice of the spring on Wednesday and could get into his first game on Tuesday.

Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez, two guys primarily being looked at as long relievers and spot starters, will likely continue to be stretched out instead of being transitioned into one-inning relievers. Cora said they’ll be used in a variety of ways.

And when Wright is eligible to return, the Sox plan on using him, too.

“Honestly, not too much changes, especially early, the first half of the season,” Cora said. “We still have some capable guys here … We’ll just keep looking for guys that we can maximize their potential and get people out.”

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