Boston Red Sox rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks, who replaced Kevin Youkilis in the starting lineup, was hit by a 95-mph fastball last night in the ninth inning from Indians’ reliever Esmil Rogers and could be out for the season with a fracture of the right wrist, ESPN reports.
After the game, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said according to WEEI that “[Middlebrooks] was in a lot of pain and it was in a bad spot. I was hoping it was going to be more down on the meat, and it was just right on the bone.”
Will Middlebrooks is batting .292 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. The Sox have called up Danny Valencia from Triple-A to play third.
The visiting Red Sox prevailed over Cleveland in the game 3-2, however, with Clay Buchholz getting the complete game victory.
While trying to overcome last season’s September fried-chicken-and-beer collapse , the Red Sox have put 24 players on the disabled list (so far) in the 2012 campaign, the most by any team since 1987. DH David Ortiz, for example, is still out of action.
If Middlebrooks goes to the DL, the team obviously could have used three-time All Star Kevin Youkilis at third. But management was hell-bent on banishing Youkilis from the team, and he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in late June
Going into today’s action, the Red Sox are 56 and 58 (.491), in fourth place in the American League East, but perhaps with a shot at the second Wild Card. The primary reason that the team has underperformed is the mediocre performances of starters Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. The offense and the bullpen have both generally done a good job.
Do you think the Boston Red Sox have any chance of making the 2012 playoffs?
[image credit: Keith Allison ]