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June 23, 2008
By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON _ Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis was removed from Monday's game after being hit in the eye by the baseball. He suffered a contusion under the right eye and was taken for a precautionary CT scan.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after the game the test came back negative.
In between the fourth and fifth innings, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell short-hopped a throw to Youkilis. The ball bounced off the clay and drilled him in the right eye. Youkilis was attended to by team trainer Paul Lessard and Francona and removed from the game.
"His eye was getting puffier and puffier pretty much by the second," said Francona. "By the time I got out there he wanted to stay in, he always wants to stay in. The way it was swelling, and as quickly as it was swelling, there's was no way we were going to let him go hit."
Youkilis will be examined again Tuesday morning.
"If it get too swollen it will certainly limit his eye sight, which wouldn't be good to play him (Tuesday night), so we'll see how he's doing."
Because backup first baseman Sean Casey began his three-game suspension Monday night for his involvement in the bench-clearing brawl with the Tampa Bay Rays on June 5 at Fenway Park, he was unavailable to replace the injured Youkilis.
"The timing. . . that's the way it usually works," said Francona.
So, Brandon Moss was inserted into the game. An outfielder by trade, the Red Sox began to work him out as a first baseman late last season. This year in Pawtucket he played 32 of his 37 games for the PawSox at first. Monday night was his first MLB game at first.
"We're fortunate we had him here tonight," said Francona. "We would like to see Moss play more, but we have Casey here. We didn't have Casey tonight, but at least we had somebody to play first."
Posted by Joe McDonald 
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