Red Sox's Pedroia following grand slam: 'I knew I was back to normal'

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was adamant that his power would return this season following wrist surgery. 

He showed signs of it Thursday by belting a grand slam. 

"I knew I was back to normal in the offseason," Pedroia told Jen McCaffrey of the Springfield Republican. "Obviously I told you guys that but you can only believe me if you see it. So there you go."

The scrappy, 5-foot-9 Pedroia averaged 16 home runs a season from 2008-2012, but a wrist injury severely limited his power the past two seasons. He finished the 2014 campaign with a career-low seven home runs and a .376 slugging percentage. 

The Red Sox opted to have Pedroia undergo a procedure in mid-September to repair a tendon and remove some scar tissue. 

Despite having just one spring training game under his belt, manager John Farrell is impressed with Pedroia's swing. 

"He showed good bat speed," Farrell said. "More than anything, the ability to pull his hands in on a swing that he hit out of the ballpark, that's a swing that I think we've all seen in the past form Pedey. But the number of nagging things he's dealt with it's limited him the last couple years."