"While the Yankees were looking at a full-blown injury crisis in the form of Joba Chamberlain's pending elbow surgery, the Red Sox were crossing their fingers about avoiding a potential one of their own.

Dustin Pedroia, their second baseman and No. 2 hitter in the lineup, took the train back to Boston Thursday morning and underwent a late afternoon examination of his troublesome right knee. The Sox might have waited until after the finale of the critical series with the Yankees, but Pedroia raised concerns about it.

Boston manager Terry Francona was keeping an optimistic outlook, saying "I fully expect he'll be hitting second tomorrow (against the Blue Jays). I don't think he's going to miss any time. I'll be surprised if it's something different."

But the 2008 AL MVP told the Boston Globe Wednesday night that the possibility loomed that if the examination revealed a problem, he could have the surgery and possibly miss a month.

As of game time, things looked like they could be working out in Boston's favor as the Red Sox confirmed an early report that Pedroia suffered a bruised kneecap that will not require surgery and should put him in Friday night's lineup in Toronto.

Francona said Pedroia has had "a little bit of a cartilage issue" since last year, but that all the rest he got while recovering from foot surgery during last season may have improved it.

"That knee has been actually kind of sore, it was sore last year. ... It's been nagging at him a lot of this year," Francona said. "There's a difference between having your knee ache or hurt as opposed to maybe putting yourself in a place you don't want to. We just want to make sure.""