Longtime Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has been sidelined since mid-April due to knee trouble. Over the weekend, he removed himself from a minor-league rehab game after experiencing continued discomfort. It was already unclear when Pedroia would return -- the Red Sox transferred him to the 60-day injured list on Monday -- now, it's become a matter of if.

Pedroia spent Memorial Day afternoon partaking in a press conference alongside manager Alex Cora and top executive Dave Dombrowski. During said press conference, Pedroia announced he would be taking an absence. He didn't outright announce his retirement, but he acknowledged he didn't know if he would be able to play again:

Pedroia, 35, is under contract through the 2021 season at the total cost of around $35 million. Barring an agreement with the Red Sox, he would forfeit that money owed if he were to retire.

Pedroia is a former MVP Award winner, a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, and two-time World Series champion. For his career, he's hit .299/.365/.439 with 140 home runs and 51.7 Wins Above Replacement. He's been limited to nine big-league games since the start of the 2018 season.

Michael Chavis has asserted himself as the Red Sox second baseman during Pedroia's absence. That doesn't figure to change anytime soon.