Last week, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine gave the shortstop a day off to alleviate the turf toe. But the discomfort hasn't subsided, prompting Valentine to sit Aviles in favor of Pedro Ciriaco in Sunday's nightcap against the Yankees.
"I'm trying to get Mike's toe where it should be," Valentine said. "We thought we had it in a situation that was comfortable but it's less than comfortable so I'm hoping only a day but we'll see how he feels tomorrow."
Despite keying Boston's game-winning run over Texas on July 24, Aviles has been mired in a rut, going 1-for-18 over his past five games. Valentine believes the slump is attributed to Aviles' nagging toe injury.
"It's affected his batting," Valentine said. "I mean, he's been coming off of it so early, you know? But he's been gutting through it and he's wanted to play and every time he's been asked, he says he's fine. Finally, I saw him after the game yesterday and talked to him."
As a result of his subpar production, Aviles' batting average has slipped to .252 while his on-base percentage has dropped down to .275.
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