Boston Red Sox: Effects of Third Base Prospect Will Middlebrooks' Injury

A healthy Will Middlebrooks would have given Boston plenty of options during this offseason. It wouldn't have been a complete shock to see him make the Opening Day roster, and possibly even as the starting third baseman.

These possibilities will now not become realities as Middlebrooks will miss the remainder of the Arizona Fall League season with a sprained left thumb. His injury is likely to sideline him for four to six weeks which would have him ready for the start of Spring Training.

Middlebrooks, ranked first in the Red Sox minor league system by SoxProspects.com, spent the majority of his season in Double-A Portland last season. During his 96 games, he hit .302 with 18 home runs and 80 runs batted in. He was named to the Eastern League All-Star team and, more importantly, the 2011 MLB Futures Game, which showcases the best young talents in the game. His regular-season success followed him to the AFL as he was named to the Rising Stars game, much similar to the Futures Game. 

With the hopes of the young third baseman taking the AFL by storm and coming into Spring Training looking better than ever, Boston could have made a few transactions. The Red Sox currently have three "third basemen" on the roster in Kevin Youkilis, Jed Lowrie and Mike Aviles. Any of these three could easily be traded this offseason, but the injury makes a trade less likely. 

Potentially the biggest trade chip would be Lowrie, who can play basically any infield position with the exception of first base. On many teams he is a backup/utility infielder, but he has the potential to start if his overall game improves. Aviles seems like a lock to make the team this spring now that Middlebrooks has gone down. He was solid for Boston down the stretch and proved he can play a variety of positions. 

A Youkilis trade would have come as a shock to people who haven't heard of Middlebrooks nor seen him play. He has served as the cleanup hitter over the past few seasons and has been great both offensively and defensively. How could they trade a guy like that?

Easy.

Will Middlebrooks will make an impact on the 2012 Red Sox even though he won't start the season in the majors. He has All-Star potential that could flourish in the upcoming years, giving Boston plenty of opportunities to win.