Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who played in only three games last season due to an ongoing knee injury, was activated off the injured list and started in the team's home opener Tuesday.
The Red Sox raised their championship banner prior to Tuesday's home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. Pedroia, hitting seventh, hit into a double-play in his first at-bat.
Pedroia, 35, the 2008 AL MVP, has been slowed since a slide into his surgically repaired left knee at second base by Baltimore's Manny Machado on April 21, 2017. Pedroia had left knee surgery on Oct. 25, 2017, and was limited to three big-league games in 2018, from May 26 to May 29.
The four-time Gold Glove winner is the longest tenured player on the Red Sox roster.
Brock Holt, who was poked in the eye by his 2-year-old son, Griff, was put on the injured list due to a scratched right cornea.
To make room on the roster, the Red Sox optioned infielder Tzu-Wei Lin to Triple-A Pawtucket.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
