Kevin Youkilis to Play for Rakuten Golden Eagles

Former Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees player Kevin Youkilis heads to Japan.

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

While there’s still a cloud of mystery hovering over Masahiro Tanaka and his MLB future, there’s another MLB player that’s heading to Tanaka’s Rakuten club.

Yes, Kevin Youkilis will be heading to Japan. What will be interesting to watch is how well Youk’s intensity plays. Well, Bobby Valentine once questioned Youk’s emotional state – as far as baseball is concerned. And yes, Bobby V. apologized for that remark because who would in their right mind would ever question Kevin Youkilis and his approach to baseball? Look at the above image?

Last season was basically a wash for Youkilis. After signing a one year, $12MM deal with the New York Yankees, Youkilis only played in 28 games. He posted a tripole slash of .219/.305/.343 with a pair of hime runs and 8 RBI. In late April, he lost about a month due to a back strain. He rejoined the Pinstripes in late May, only to head back to the DL in mid-June. It was discovered Youkilis had a herniated disc. He would have surgery which would end his season.

Maybe this is to make up for the loss of Casey McGehee. Or this could be simply a platform for Youk to prove that he can still play.

(H/T: MLB Trade Rumors)