Shortly after Boston toppled Atlanta 9-4, the White Sox officially announced they had acquired Youkilis and cash from the Red Sox in exchange for utilityman Brent Lillibridge and pitcher Zach Stewart.
The trade took place during Sunday’s game. After Youkilis ripped an RBI triple in the eighth inning, he was pulled from the game and replaced with Nick Punto. As the veteran third baseman walked into the dugout, teammates passionately embraced him, one by one, before he emerged for a curtain call. Once the game concluded, Youkilis wasn’t on the field for postgame handshakes, and his locker nameplate was gone in the clubhouse.
With the emergence of rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks, Youkilis became expendable.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said he is looking forward to playing his now-former teammate.
“We play the [White Sox] in July. I’ll see him soon,” Pedroia said.
The Red Sox will host the White Sox at Fenway Park for a four-game series from July 16 to 19.
Through 42 games with the Red Sox in 2012, Youkilis finished with four homers and 14 RBIs. In nine years with the club, Youkilis had 133 homers, 563 RBIs and was part of two World Series championships. He was a three-time All-Star and captured a Gold Glove in 2007.
