NESN

Kevin Youkilis May Return to Red Sox Dugout During Upcoming Road Trip for Moral Support

You can't keep a good man down.

It doesn't matter where his team is, or what the state of health he may be in — Kevin Youkilis will return to the Red Sox as soon as his injury will allow. Youkilis is currently in Cleveland, where he will undergo surgery on his right thumb on Friday. There is no hope for the first baseman to return to the Red Sox' roster this season, but he is expected to be healed from surgery by November.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona gave a news conference before Thursday night's game to discuss Youkilis' injury, and said that the first baseman may return to the team during the upcoming road trip to give moral support in the dugout.

"He'd like to join us on the road if we get the OK," Francona told reporters. "Then he'll be immobilized for approximately six weeks and will be reevaluated from there."

NESN's Tom Caron and Dennis Eckersley conducted an evaluation of their own in analyzing the possible replacements for Youk on Red Sox Gameday Live. Mike Lowell, Victor Martinez and Jed Lowrie are all viable options for the Red Sox on first base this season. Luckily for Francona, he's used to rearranging the lineups by now.

To hear the entire segment with updates on Youkilis and Lowell, watch the video below.