Second baseman Dustin Pedroia will return to Hadlock Field on Thursday for the first time since 2005. Here he is greeted by Sea Dogs teammates after hitting a home run on April 10, 2005. Portland Press Herald Photo by Jill Brady

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will begin an injury rehab assignment with the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field on Thursday when the Dogs host the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at 6 p.m.

His rehab assignment in Portland, first reported Sunday, was announced by the Sea Dogs on Wednesday.

Pedroia, 35, irritated his surgically repaired left knee in an April 17 game with the Yankees. He missed all but three games last season because of the knee, and has played in just six games with the Red Sox this year (two hits in 20 at-bats).

It is unclear how long Pedroia will be with the Sea Dogs. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said earlier this week that Pedroia’s assignment would be “back-to-back-to-back games … all depends how he feels.”

This will mark Pedroia’s first games at Hadlock since he was a Sea Dogs second baseman in 2005. He batted .324 in 66 games with Portland at age 21 before earning a mid-season promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Pedroia joined the Red Sox late in the 2006 season and went on to earn Rookie of the Year (2007) and American League MVP honors (2008).  He is a four-time All-Star and a member of three Boston World Series championship teams.