Youkilis will move back to 3B: Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine went on WEEI radio before Wednesday's game against the Orioles to talk about his current lineup alignment that features Adrian Gonzalez in right field, Kevin Youkilis at first base and Will Middlebrooks at third base. Valentine acknowledged that Gonzalez playing right field isn't "an everyday solution." Valentine agreed with general manager Ben Cherington's assessment that Youkilis will return to being the team's third baseman, and that Middlebrooks will spend some time on the bench and might be demoted back to the minors. "I totally am on board with Ben's take, and Kevin's going to play third base," Valentine said. "I think we just have a situation where we have to play this by ear. This isn't something that was planned out over the winter or even was planned out last week or two weeks ago when Will first came up and Kevin first went on the disabled list. This is a work in progress. We'll adjust to it as the situation presents itself." (Updated 05/23/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
The takeaway point here is that the Red Sox will continue to treat Youkilis as an everyday player, whether it is at first base or third base. Youkilis' name has come up in trade rumors, but for now Valentine doesn't feel the veteran will be traded. "We just got Kevin back and we're really excited about him being back," Valentine said. "Obviously, he added our only run last night. He's making up for a lot of deficiencies that have presented themselves at other positions. Trading him -- I don't see that." It was nice to see Youkilis homer in his first game back. Now, he just needs to keep producing following a slow start to the season. Youkilis is a low-end Fantasy starter in mixed leagues until he starts producing up to par. (Updated 05/23/2012).
05/23/2012 14:54 Setting the Trends: Injuries creating unlikely scenarios
Dayan Viciedo, Sean Rodriguez and Felipe Paulino are drawing the attention of Fantasy owners these days. Our Nando Di Fino breaks down the players you are scooping up in his Setting the Trends.
05/23/2012 06:45 Dear Mr. Fantasy: Ups and downs of young players
Last year your team was a juggernaut. This year it's sitting in the cellar. What happened? You might even have most of those players back. If you're relying on young talent, our Scott White says prepare to take some lumps in his latest Dear Mr. Fantasy.
05/22/2012 22:36 Tolleson, Betemit homer in O's win
Brian Matusz allowed two hits and struck out nine in 6 1-3 innings, Steve Tolleson and Wilson Betemit both hit two-run homers, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Injuries have plagued Kevin Youkilis in recent years, and 2011 was no exception. The Red Sox third baseman missed several games down the stretch with back and hip injuries and a sports hernia, and he was limited to just 120 games on the season. When he did play, Youkilis displayed a lot less punch than usual, posting the highest ground ball rate of his career by far. The result was his lowest home run total (17) since 2007, and his fewest runs scored since he became a regular in 2006. Youkilis had sports hernia surgery last October, but it remains to be seen if he can return to playing 140 games and hitting 25 home runs, as he did a few seasons back. The good news is that most of Youkilis' power dropoff occurred late last season, when he was clearly nowhere close to healthy. Even if he continues his pattern of injury and missed time, he should have enough in the tank to rank among the top five third basemen in Fantasy. (Updated 1/27/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
