Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia: To begin rehab assignment Monday

Pedroia (knee) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Pedroia has been playing in games at extended spring training with no issues recently, clearing the way for him to return to game action with a minor-league affiliate. It's unclear how long the veteran second baseman will spend on a rehab assignment, but Pedroia will need to play seven innings in back-to-back games before returning to the majors. Barring any setbacks, the hope is that he'll be back with the Red Sox before the end of the month.