Boston Red Sox Asking for Trouble with Adrian Gonzalez in the Outfield

Of all the crazy scenarios that could have come to fruition this season, I doubt many members of Red Sox Nation thought to consider a lineup featuring Will Middlebrooks at third base, Kevin Youkilis at first base and Adrian Gonzalez in right field.

For that matter, this is a scenario that Boston's brass probably didn't bother to consider either. 

Yet this is what the Red Sox have been dealing with in their last two games. In the second and third games of a three-game set against the Orioles in Baltimore, Bobby Valentine played the kid at third, Youk at first and Gonzo in right.

This is the kind of reality that should inspire outrage among Red Sox fans, but a vast majority of them know what's up. Circumstances surrounding the Red Sox are pretty strange these days, and it's these circumstances that are responsible for Bobby V's most recent lineups.

Middlebrooks is at third because the Sox don't want to take his bat out of the lineup, which is understandable seeing as how he's hitting close to .300 with five home runs and 17 RBI.

Youkilis is at first because he needs to play now that he's off the disabled list, in large part because the Red Sox need to showcase him for a potential trade down the road. 

Gonzalez is in right field because he needs to be in the lineup, and because the Sox don't have many other options in the outfield thanks to all their injuries. He's in right field because he can't do too much damage out there.

Gonzalez has no business being in right field. He's a big, lumbering presence, and he's only going to get to balls that are hit right at him or popped sky-high in the air. Worse, injuries can happen in the outfield, and the last thing the Red Sox want is to see their $154 million first baseman get hurt while trying to negotiate the outfield like a Sherman tank.

The good news is that the Red Sox are aware of this. According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, the Red Sox are unlikely to use Gonzalez in right field when the Sox return to Fenway Park for a seven-game homestand.

Maybe, anyway. Truth be told, Bobby V was kind of vague about the team's plans:

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"I don't think so. I don't know. I mean, there has been some thought. There might be continuing conversation. For the most part, when you're on one side of the diamond and you see the ball off the bat, and get your reaction and then try to change that perspective, it becomes more challenging from what I've experienced -- not only personally, but talking to players. I've even seen the infield transition difficult for some guys."

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So...you're telling me there's a chance Gonzalez will play in the outfield at Fenway?

Sounds like it, and the popular notion that's being floated around (by CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam and others) is that Gonzalez could find his way to left field at Fenway Park. He might just end up in the shadow of the Green Monster.

It remains to be seen if this will actually come to fruition, but it wouldn't come as a huge shock if it did. Bobby V is keeping an open mind, and nobody should put it past Gonzo to volunteer to play the outfield again. He's noble like that.

If so, this is a situation that could quickly change from "not ideal" to "really, really, really bad idea."

All signs seem to point towards Gonzalez's time in the outfield being temporary, but a disturbing trend has already started to develop. After playing at first in 39 straight games, Gonzalez has now found himself in the outfield in four of Boston's last five games. The Red Sox's Gold Glove first baseman has been spending more time roaming the outfield than he has manning first base.

There are only two ways to make this madness stop for good: Either Middlebrooks goes, or Youkilis goes.

Getting rid of Middlebrooks would be easy, as all the Sox have to do is send him back down to Pawtucket, where he was raking this season. Making Youk disappear will be a little harder, but indications are that this is the route the Sox would prefer to pursue.

Youkilis is trade bait, and Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe recently reported that there are going to be interested parties when the Sox start to call around. They could showcase him back at third, and they are going to do so eventually, but showcasing him at first is the better way to build his trade value. He won a Gold Glove at first once upon a time, and his best offensive years came when he was playing first.

The situation is complicated now, but it could get even more complicated going forward. If Youk struggles like he did before he went on the DL, the Sox are going to have a hard time finding a good deal for him. If he starts hitting, the Sox will either have to trade him or keep him and enjoy the good production while it lasts.

In that situation, Middlebrooks would either have to go back to Triple-A, or he would have to stay up at the big league level with Gonzalez taking up a semi-permanent residence in the outfield.

That second possibility can't be ruled out, and that's a frightening notion. Gonzalez doesn't belong in the outfield, but he's shown that he can handle the outfield pretty well. The danger is of the Red Sox taking it for granted that Gonzalez will keep handling himself in the outfield on a daily basis.

It bears repeating that there are only two ways this can be avoided: Middlebrooks goes, or Youk goes. Valentine has gotten all three of them in the lineup in the last two days, but that's something that must not continue.

The scary part is that this is something that could continue. All it would take is for the Red Sox to get content with their unorthodox arrangement of Middlebrooks, Youkilis and Gonzalez.

In that event, it would be just a matter of time before something bad would happen.