The Red Sox lost one of their leaders on Monday in Kevin Youkilis when he tore a muscle in his right thumb in his first at-bat. Youkilis will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the thumb on Friday.
The loss of Youkilis is an extremely difficult one to replace. Youkilis' stats across the board are among the best on the Red Sox. His defense at first base has once again been impressive.
Throughout the year, the Red Sox have overcome injury after injury. And while the Youkilis injury may end up hurting the most, there is something that may be able to temporarily ease the pain of his loss: The returns of Mike Lowell and Jacoby Ellsbury to the Red Sox, which could not have come at a better time.
With Lowell, the Red Sox get a player who's been there before and who gets it. Lowell may also feel a bit slighted after the messy tribulations he's had to endure this year, so he may play with something to prove. His home run on the first pitch he saw on Tuesday may be proof that he can still generate some power.
And while he may see more time at first base than at third base in Youkilis' absence, Lowell showed on Tuesday night that he can more than handle the position
Lowell won't play everyday, but he's a player whom seemingly everyone in the clubhouse likes and respects. That could help the team in the long run as well.
The return of Ellsbury on Wednesday night means that, if he's completely healthy, the Red Sox are getting back a dynamic player in more ways than one.
Ellsbury hit .409 in his rehab stints and showed signs of a live bat as he found the gaps on more than one occasion. If he's able to get on base at a clip near that with the Sox, he'll be able to use his speed to create havoc on the base paths. The Red Sox have only stolen 37 bases this season. As Heidi Watney pointed out on Red Sox GameDay Live, Ellsbury had 48 steals as of Aug. 5 last year.
His presence will also be felt in the outfield. With Mike Cameron on the DL, Ellsbury will be in center field where he is most comfortable. His ability to get to the ball in the gaps will only help the team defense, which, in turn, will help the pitching as well.
so, the Red Sox are without Kevin Youkilis for the rest of the season — it may be the last straw in terms of injuries for this ball club. But, with the returns of Mike Lowell and Jacoby Ellsbury, perhaps they can weather the storm.
So, can the returns of Lowell and Ellsbury make up for the loss of Youkilis?
Aug. 4: Will the Red Sox pick up a layer on waivers to help during the stretch run?
