Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis has been placed on the disabled list with a back injury (Boston.com). He hasn't been in the lineup since April 28 and hot-hitting prospect Will Middlebrooks is slated to take his spot Wednesday night in the Boston lineup.

Busy day for Red Sox
"I had an irritated joint or whatever in the back that just has been happening for a little bit of time now," Youkilis said (Boston.com). "Basically, the last couple of days have been bad and trying to get through it. Made great strides from [Tuesday] to [Wednesday]. Things are going well but they want to get a step ahead of it and get me as healthy as possible."

Youkilis, 33, is hitting just .219/.292/.344 this season with two homers, nine RBI and 14 runs in 72 plate appearances. Injuries also limited him to 120 games last year and 102 games in 2010. And the back issue is quite troubling for a guy who needs to stay at third base -- with Adrian Gonzalez at first and David Ortiz as the DH. Middlebrooks certainly appears to be good insurance, though.

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