Amidst all the assumptions that Dustin Pedroia's season is probably over, there was a ray of hope this afternoon: renowned foot specialist Dr. George Theodore examined the injured second baseman's broken foot, and saw significant healing, manager Terry Francona said.

"Much improved from last week, when he looked at him," Francona said. "A lot less pain on the range of motion, and the resistance, which was really encouraging. I don't think he's ready to play, but it was really encouraging to see the amount of healing that's taken place over a week, so we were really happy about that."

Pedroia will have a scan in Boston on Friday, and the decision on season-ending surgery will be made then. If surgery is the choice, Pedroia will have a screw inserted in his foot, and would be ready for spring training 2011.

"I think they'll probably discuss that Friday," Francona said. "I think they probably discussed it, but I think Friday's probably an important day. I think it was a good visit. He explained things, he diagrammed some things, which is good, I think he explained to him what the surgery would potentially be. It was a good visit."

Pedroia broke his left foot in late June, when he fouled a ball off came off the appendage. He came off the disabled list several weeks ago, but was in significant pain after only a few days on the field. He was place back on the DL, and told to keep the foot in a boot to see how much healing occurs.