Bobby Valentine Calls Out Kevin Youkilis

Following yesterday’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine went on a Boston radio show and called out veteran third baseman Kevin Youkilis.  Valentine said that Youkilis, who had gotten off to a slow start this season, doesn’t seem to be “as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason”.

Valentine did go on to say that Youkilis seemed to be “seeing the ball well” this weekend, noting the slugger’s increased production during the Rays series.  Valentine ended his comments on Youkilis by saying that the veteran will hopefully “move on from there”.

This threw up red flags nationally as comments that were sure to cause controversy in the Red Sox clubhouse.  Youkilis is a veteran team leader and Valentine basically said that his heart doesn’t seem to be in the game this year.  That’s sure to ruffle the feathers of a 33-year-old three-time All-Star.

For what it’s worth, Youkilis did start the season 0-12 with five strike outs.  But, since his slow start, Youkilis has gone 6-18 with three walks and three RBIs over his past five games.

While Valentine is certainly in a position which should give him a good idea of the situation, it hardly seems necessary to call out a veteran player for starting the  year 0-12, especially considering Youkilis’s track record as a ‘gamer’.  On top of that, Youkilis recently showed signs of coming out of his early-season funk, so why pile on him now?

This is certainly not the last we’ll hear of this situation, as Youkilis has already come out and said he’s “surprised and confused” by his manager’s comments.  He’s certainly not the only one.

For more on the Red Sox be sure to check out BoSox Injection.

You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.