BOSTON — Kevin Youkilis has said in the past, and he repeated Tuesday, that the moment players put on their spikes on that first day of spring training, they are no longer at 100 percent.
For a guy that has a sports hernia, bursitis in his left hip and any number of other ailments as we hit the middle of September, that's now painfully obvious. That doesn't mean his return will not be a huge boost to the slumping Red Sox.
"I couldn't tell you a meter of where I'm at," Youkilis said Tuesday before his first game in a week. "Hopefully, when I go up there and hit and play the field I look like I'm 100 percent."
That level will not be achieved until the offseason, when Youkilis will have surgery on the sports hernia. It’s something he dealt with in 2006, and he knows that he can play through it until it's time to go under the knife.
His manager feels that any form of Youkilis, even one that is laboring from time to time, is a nice addition to the lineup.
"Because he knows where he's at physically, I think he can try to get through this a little bit," Terry Francona said. "He may not steal 30 bases, probably wouldn't happen anyway, but I think he can still be productive, like he was."
Much of that production came in May, June and July. Once August rolled around, the physical demands on a guy who plays as hard as anyone in the game began to catch up with Youkilis.
He hit just .209 in 12 games in August before going on the disabled list with a back strain, an injury he said was related to the other two he currently has. Youkilis was 5-for-27 (.185) in seven games after coming off the DL, but was sent from Toronto to Boston last week to get an MRI on the hip.
The 32-year-old received an injection in the hip. He said it is "no miracle drug," but will help limit the pain as he powers through the final two weeks of the regular season, and maybe deep into October.
Youkilis did admit that the lingering hip pain has frustrated him.
"I've been unfortunate with my hip that just never has really healed," he said. "It's just basically been inflamed. Got the injection, it's one of those things where you hope it gets better and better. It just hasn't."
Among the other measures that Youkilis will take to get through the rest of the season is the wearing of special padding to cushion himself when he slides or dives, as well as regular treatment from the medical staff.
It will remain a day-to-day venture for him.
"In this game, when you play every day, it's not like football where you have six days until your next game," he added. "You've got to go out there and you've got to play, you've got to figure out a way to do it and if you’re not 100 percent you have to try to get to 100 percent."
At the very least, Youkilis will have an impact with his attitude, something the club can use as it limps home from a 1-6 road trip.
"I'm not concerned," he said when asked about his team's status. "We're still ahead. We're still ahead and it's in our control. We have to win ballgames, that's all we've got to do."
With Youkilis back, even in limited health, that becomes a bit easier to do.
