"According to a baseball source, Kevin Youkilis was "hurting" last night, the stiffness in his lower back only intensifying, not abating.

And so, it is possible, maybe even likely, that Youkilis will be placed on the 15-day disabled list before tonight's series finale against the Oakland Athletics, opening the door for the Red Sox to recall top prospect Will Middlebrooks from Triple-A Pawtucket.

With Youkilis missing his third consecutive game last night, the Red Sox called up shortstop Jose Iglesias to give themselves an extra infielder. But manager Bobby Valentine indicated the move may have been a short-term fix. Indeed, if Youkilis is going to be sidelined for a longer duration, the Red Sox would be better suited to have Middlebrooks playing third base every day, leave Mike Aviles at shortstop, where he has gotten off to a strong start, and return Iglesias to Pawtucket to get the regular at-bats he requires to continue to develop as a hitter."