Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein addressed the rash of injuries that his team has suffered by suggesting that the Sox have demonstrated admirable resilience already in climbing back into the thick of the AL East race without a full complement of players. It is his hope that the additional injuries to Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez will be treated no differently.

“[The injuries are] unfortunate, but it’s part of the game and it’s been part of our season from Day One, really,” said Epstein. “I think this group is used to dealing with it, and that’s been part of the character of this team, having guys step up and fill in for injured starters, injured stars, and getting contributions from unlikely players. We hope that trend continues.

“The only thing that makes the medicine go down a little easier is that we’ve been playing good baseball for a really long time now. we’re right in the middle of it, kind of right where we want to be, well-positioned for the rest of the season if we play well. So this would have been really hard to take if we were still scuffling, 8 1/2, 9 games back. If we were hit with this kind of injury bug, it probably would have meant the season and it would have meant a really long three months.

“But in how we’ve played we’ve gotten ourselves in a position to withstand this and keep fighting and when we get fully healthy later in the year we should be a force to be reckoned with. I just really admire the way we’ve played in the face of all these issues.”

Epstein did not that Pedroia and Martinez represent the types of players who are most difficult to replace: middle-of-the-field players who are formidable lineup contributors. Given the difficulty of replacing such players, the Sox plan on evaluating whether their current group of fill-ins — with Jason Varitek resuming primary starting duties behind the plate and being backed up by Gustavo Molina, and Bill Hall and Eric Patterson filling in for Pedroia at second base — before they examine the trade market.

“Usually, where you end up in a bit of trouble [from a depth standpoint] is when you get to the middle of the field, that type of player. We had two of those players go down in three days,” said Epstein. “Those middle of the field guys who can really make an impact offensively, they’re the toughest ones to replace. But that’s why you have depth, that’s why you have a farm system, that’s why you sign minor league free agents, that’s why you make small trades and that’s why all those questions about having too many good players, or about having guys who are used to starting and how are you going to get ABs for all of them, those things work themselves out, this year more than ever.

“So we’ll just keep plugging away, keep trying to add depth and keep trying to find the right combinations. We’ll see how this group plays. There are guys getting opportunities with the injuries to fill in, we’ll see how they do the job before we do anything else.”

That being the case, Epstein suggested that the current rash of injuries was unlikely to influence significantly what the Sox do between now and the trade deadline. Given that Martinez is due back slightly after the All-Star break, and Pedroia could be back in six weeks (or less, if he heals at an accelerated clip), the team does not want to deal for a replacement who would create a roster logjam when the starters are back at full health.

That explains, in part, why Epstein feels that the club will evaluate its internal options before pursuing alternatives on the trade market.

“I think if we do anything major, anything of real significance, it has to make sense now – for the short-term – and also make sense once we get our guys back and healthy. You don’t want to make a major trade that all of a sudden three or four weeks from now doesn’t fit,” said Epstein. “We’ll be looking out for something like that. More likely, we’ll continue to see how this group of players performs, see how the players who are getting an opportunity to play more regularly do filling in, and continue to be on the lookout for upgrades where we can. But usually things don’t happen till the end of July anyway. By that time, we should start to get players back and we should get a feel for how the replacements have fit.”

Epstein suggested that the injury to Martinez is not serious enough to contemplate parting with any meaningful prospects in a trade. With Martinez expected back shortly after the All-Star break (perhaps even in the first game of the second half), the Sox can afford to carry a player like Molina, who has good defensive skills even if he represents little offensive threat.

“We think at least as of now that we’re not going to be without victor for too long. We think we have a chance to get him back right around the start of the second half,” said Epstein. “We’re lucky to have Jason Varitek here, ready to play more regularly. So you’re looking at, if we’re lucky enough to get victor back around the start of the second half, you’re looking at 11 games, that’s maybe two or three from the backup, and that’s not something you want to give up a lot for in a trade. Gustavo’s a good catch and throw guy, with good hands, who did a nice job out there [in the bullpen] catching Wakefield today. We’ll see
how that goes before we make a move. Besides, there aren’t that many trades for catchers to be made right now anyways.”