Cherington Denies Report That Sox 'Definitely Intend' To Trade Youkilis
BOSTON (CBS) -- While the idea of trading Kevin Youkilis in order to create a more feasible lineup that includes Will Middlebrooks and Adrian Gonzalez might make perfect sense, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said that a report claiming the Sox "definitely intend" to trade Youkilis is "inaccurate."
WBZ-TV's Dan Roche reported that Cherington confirmed that some teams have "checked in" regarding Youkilis' availability, but they do not have definite intentions of moving the veteran corner infielder.
Earlier on Friday, CBSSports.com's senior baseball writer Danny Knobler reported via Twitter that the Red Sox "are telling teams they definitely intend to trade Youkilis." CBSSports' Jon Heyman later added that the Dodgers have ramped up their scouting of Youkilis.
Youkilis, 33, has become somewhat expendable, given the rapid ascent of 23-year-old Will Middlebrooks as a big league player. Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has been forced to draw up some creative defensive alignments in order to keep Youkilis, Middlebrooks, Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz all in the lineup mot nights, but it's a less-than-ideal situation.
Since returning from the disabled list on May 22, Youkilis is hitting .313 with two homers, three walks and three RBIs. On the season, he's batting .250 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 27 games.
Middlebrooks, meanwhile, has hit six home runs in his first 24 games in the majors to go with his .316 average and .922 OPS.
