| The news is not good for Will Middlebrooks and the Red Sox. (Associated Press) |
Boston feared the worst when rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks took an Esmil Rogers pitch off the wrist in the ninth inning on Friday night. That was later confirmed, and Middlebrooks now believes he'll miss the rest of the season.
The 23-year-old Middlebrooks is hitting .288/.325/.509 on the season with 15 home runs in 286 plate appearances.
On Saturday, he said he believes he'll likely miss the rest of the season, but there is a small chance he could return in the final weeks of the season.
"I want to play, but I have to do the right thing," he told the Boston Globe on Saturday.
In late June, the Red Sox traded away longtime third baseman Kevin Youkilis in large part because of Middlebrooks's early success.
"He had a terrific run with us. He's a terrific player," manager Bobby Valentine said (via the Globe). "I don't think he'll be back this year. He might for a short stint, I don't know. I couldn't be happier or more proud of everything he did, developing into the player he is right now and contributing to our team. It's a damn shame."
The Sox called up infielder Danny Valencia to replace Middlebrooks on the active roster. Boston acquired Valencia from the Twins last week in exchange for minor-league outfielder Jeremias Pineda. Middlebrooks became the 10th Boston player currently on the disabled list.
Middlebrooks's injury also means that every lineup regular save for Adrian Gonzalez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia soon will have spent time on the DL in 2012.
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