Kevin Youkilis Will Start Baseball Activity Within Two Weeks

by NESN Staff on Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 6:43PM

It's been seven weeks since Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis watched his season end with a swing of the bat, and since then he's been solely focused on regaining his strength for next season.

NESN's Heidi Watney caught up with Youk during Red Sox Monster Monday and received the full update on his progress since undergoing season-ending surgery in early August. Youkilis said the next week or so will be devoted to strengthening the injured hand, followed by light baseball activity at the eight-week mark.

"About a week and a half from now I'll be able to start trying to implement some baseball stuff, you know, hitting and throwing," Youkilis said. "I'll ease my way into it, but right now it feels good."

The medical staff working with Youkilis is very optimistic about his recovery. Youk said he's ahead of schedule, but he's also keeping an eye on his progress to make sure he doesn't rush any portion of the recuperation.

"For me it's about having a good offseason of strengthening it and getting myself into baseball shape," he said.

Check out Youk's entire pregame interview below to hear all the updates.