Pedroia breaking in yet another DP partner

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It wouldn't be Spring Training without Dustin Pedroia adapting to yet another new double-play partner.

First there was Julio Lugo, then Jed Lowrie. For a while there was Nick Green and Alex Gonzalez.

Then, there were a couple of seasons of Marco Scutaro. Mike Aviles teamed with Pedroia for just one season. Last season, Pedroia teamed with Stephen Drew and Jose Iglesias.

At last, Pedroia could have a long-term double-play partner in Xander Bogaerts, the highly promising rookie. Bogaerts spent the last few weeks of 2013 with the Red Sox, but mainly as a third baseman.

"It's definitely huge," said Bogaerts. "If I'm going to be playing shortstop, I need to know where he likes the ball. He's a Gold Glove, All-Star, MVP second baseman. He knows what he's talking about. He's been around the league. I just have a few days in the big leagues."

Manager John Farrell appreciates how Pedroia has always adapted to a new shortstop.

"I think he's dealt with it as best as we could have ever hoped," Farrell said. "He's had good players play alongside of him. But let's face it, the more repetition you get with a partner up the middle, you're going to have a better read and the nuances, being able to anticipate things at a greater rate. So we're looking forward to establishing that continuity going forward."