Kevin Youkilis - Fantasy News & Updates
Kevin Youkilis - Fantasy News & Updates
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While Youkilis failed to match the 29 homers and 115 RBIs he piled up in 2008, he was limited to 136 games this year because of an oblique strain that necessitated a trip to the DL. The rest of his season played out as expected, as the fiery first baseman put up rock-solid numbers across the board. 2010 will mark the beginning of his fifth campaign as an everyday player, which means Youk will be again be highly sought after in all drafts.
It's good to see a big showing from Youkilis, who looked to be slowing down at the dish. The fiery first baseman entered the day with three hits in his last 17 at-bats and just two RBIs in the 10 games since his last dinger. Overall, it’s been a strong campaign for Youk, who’s batting .305 with 90 RBIs, 96 runs and a .414 on-base percentage that ranks second in the AL.
Youkilis is just 3-for-26 on Boston's road trip. The mini-slump doesn't appear to be related to back woes that forced Youkilis out of the lineup for a three-game series against the Angels last week. "Last night, he lined out to center. No, I think he's fine," Red Sox skipper Terry Francona said. "He's OK. I haven't even thought about [the back]. I think some of that has to do with [facing Zack] Greinke and things like that."
Youkilis started at third base and batted cleanup, with Mike Lowell getting the night of and Casey Kotchman manning first. "Yeah, he feels pretty good -- good enough where there were no qualms about playing him," Red Sox skipper Terry Francona said of Youkilis.
The Red Sox had already indicated Wednesday that Youkilis would likely return Friday. Given the encouraging news about his back, owners will want to get ready to plug him back into the lineup.
Youk has missed two consecutive starts with a back ailment, but it sounds like the gritty cornerman should be back out there Thursday for the series finale with the Angels. Casey Kotchman got the start at first base Wednesday and hit out of the eight-hole for the BoSox.
The tandem could miss Wednesday's game, too, especially Martinez. "Something personal with the family came up that's very important back in Cleveland, so we gave him our blessing to go back there for the next couple of days, so you might not see him back in the lineup today or tomorrow," said Red Sox skipper Terry Francona. As for Youkilis, he spent part of Monday's off-day at Massachusetts General Hospital. Asked whether the All-Star cornerman would return Wednesday, Francona replied, I don't know. I hope so."
Following a quiet midsummer stretch, Youk appears primed to close out the regular season in the sort of strong fashion that marked his start to the campaign. The burly cornerman is batting .412 with three jacks and eight RBIs in 10 September games.
Youkilis has worn out Tampa Bay's pitching staff this year, hitting .463 with eight doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs. Wednesday represented his third straight multi-hit effort.
That likely leaves Jason Varitek catching, Victor Martinez starting at first and Kevin Youkilis playing third.
Youkilis checked in with his first multi-hit effort in the last six contests while ending a four-game stretch without an RBI. For the year, the fiery first baseman is batting .308 with 22 homers, 77 RBIs and a stellar .974 OPS.
Youk had been scuffling along since returning from his five-game suspension on Aug. 18, but he snapped his 2-for-14 skid in resounding fashion here. This is a monster game any way you slice it, but it's especially rewarding given that Youkilis had gone 10 games without an RBI, a dry spell that -- due to the suspension -- extended all the way back to Aug. 5. This was just one game, of course, but it sure did a lot to erase the memory of those struggles.
The good news is that Red Sox skipper Terry Francona plans to start Varitek on Saturday. "After the three days [off] in Toronto, I just felt like I wanted him to catch tomorrow and Sunday," Francona said. Francona didn't say who would sit on Saturday to make way for Varitek. The most likely scenario is that Mike Lowell will get a day off, with Kevin Youkilis starting at third and Victor Martinez playing first.
Youkilis seemed eager to put the mound-charging incident behind him. "You can't take back what you do in life, and you just move on," he said prior to Tuesday's game. The hard-hitting first baseman entered the day's action batting .311 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs.
Mike Lowell has been logging time at third base in Youk's absence, so he might be the first to see his time reduced with the Greek God of Walks back in action. The Sox begin a three-game series Aug. 18 at Toronto's Rogers Centre, where Youk holds a .269 batting average with an .814 OPS in 130 career at-bats.
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