Heyman with Gresh & Zo: Youkilis Will Get His Job Back
CBS Sports' Baseball Insider Jon Heyman called in to Gresh & Zo for his weekly appearance on Tuesday to discuss the state of the Red Sox.
With Kevin Youkilis rehabbing his way back from a back injury, the Red Sox will soon have a decision to make. When Youk returns, Ben Cherington said he would be back at third base, and wouldn't lose his starting job just because of an injury. Throwing a wrench in that has been the success of rookie Will Middlebrooks though, who has done nothing but produced since replacing Youkilis.
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Is it odd that Cherington would come out and back Youkilis, even with his young star-in-the-making tearing the cover off the ball?
"It might have been a preemptive strike on a lot of things," said Heyman. "It could have been a shot of confidence for Youkilis. I think most teams would handle it that way. They have a guy that has been a part of championship teams, who has been by-and-large an excellent player who is only in his early 30's. He's on the down-side but not done, you wouldn't think done at this point."
"That is probably the normal course of action for most teams," Heyman continued. "I've written, and it's easy for me to say, they should let Middlebrooks play… From everything I hear, that's the way it's going to go: Youkilis will get his job back. I'm not sure how long the leash will be, but they know that Middlebrooks is a guy who is capable of being productive and he'll be ready to go if Youkilis struggles for two or three weeks."
Chicago Tribune: White Sox A Potential Youkilis Trade Partner?
Sticking with some trade talk, the Washington Nationals lost two catchers in the last week, and reportedly had scouts at Fenway this week. Heyman tweeted earlier Tuesday that Sox backup catcher Kelly Shoppach would be a hot commodity come the deadline.
But are the Nationals going to try and get something done before then?
"You would think they'd be looking at any catcher at this point; they are strapped," said Heyman. "They're not acting desperate – whether they are or not I don't know. Shoppach is a guy that a lot of teams would be interested in at this point, because there are a lot of contending teams with catching issues; Washington just being one of them."
"If (the Red Sox) trade Shoppach, I think it would come later," said Heyman. "I'm not anticipating something happening."
There is a story that Bobby Valentine is regretting his decision to take the job with the Red Sox after their abysmal start to the season. As a Bobby V guy, has Heyman heard any truth to that?
"I have not heard that from Bobby – not that I'm in constant contact with him. But there are moments, and I think he should have understood that when he took the job," said Heyman. "He took a job for less money that requires many more hours and as many more headaches. He should have understood that heading in. It should be no different than he expected other than they haven't done great so far."
