Tampa Bay Rays’ rival Dustin Pedroia suffers setback.

Tampa Bay Rays’ long-time division foe has suffered a serious setback in his rehab.

The Tampa Bay Rays‘ division-rivals, the Boston Red Sox have had to deal with a lot this off-season. The Red Sox had to part ways with manager Alex Cora due to his involvement in the cheating scandal.

Now, even more bad news for the 2018 World Champions.

Dustin Pedroia, 36, has been an anchor for the Boston Red Sox since he debuted in 2006.

Pedroia won the 2008 MVP in just his second full season at 24-years-old for the Red Sox. He clobbered an incredible, league-leading 54 doubles. He tacked on 17 homers, 83 RBI, and 20 steals to go along with his .326/.376/.493 slash line. He also led the league in runs scored and hits.

In 167 career games against the Tampa Bay Rays, Pedroia hit .265 with 17 homers, 58 RBI, 16 SBs, and 105 runs scored. He also added 31 doubles and two triples during his matchups with the Rays.

Pedroia has been dealing with multiple injuries the past few years. It appears he has suffered an unfortunate setback that has caused him to “discuss his options with his family.”

Over the past two years, he has played in a combined nine games. He has dealt with serious knee issues that have required five surgeries, including a “joint preservation” procedure.

Dr. Christopher Geary, an orthopedic surgeon at Tufts Medical Center who has not treated Pedroia, described this type of operation as “a much bigger procedure’’ than anything Pedroia has had to this point.

“If he was 16, they do either knee replacement or a partial knee replacement,’’ said Geary. “But because of his age [35], there’s a relatively newer technique where they take what’s called a mega allograft. They take it from a cadaver and plug it in where the cartilage is no good.”

Rays’ fans wish him the best in his recovery and hope to see him back on a baseball field again.