The grave has been dug and it’s up to the Boston Red Sox whether they want the rest of their season to be buried six feet under after the latest news involving the thumb of their first baseman Kevin Youkilis.
During his daily press briefing with the assembled media, skipper Terry Francona let them know that Youk will undergo season-ending surgery on his thumb on Friday. He had hurt the thumb in Monday’s loss to the Cleveland Indians.
“He’ll be immobilized for approximately six weeks and then be reevaluated from there,” Francona said. “I think Youkilis was pretty resolved to the fact that this was probably going to happen.”
With Youkilis one of the main catalysts of the Red Sox offense, this is a major blow. It’s not easy to replace someone hitting .307/.411/.564 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs this late in the season. Even with Jacoby Ellsbury back from the disabled and the return of Dustin Pedroia in a few weeks, it may not be enough to overcome the loss of Youk in the Red Sox lineup.
And it couldn’t have come at worse time for the Red Sox with three games coming up against the New York Yankees who they are chasing in the AL East and AL wild card standings. Lose three in New York and the season is certainly over.
But the game of baseball is a funny game and you never know what can happen. Maybe the loss of Youk gives this team a little spark going forward. We can only hope that’s the case.
Photo credit: AP Photo
