IMO, the injury sapped him of a decent shot to hold down the position.
If he is able to get healthy again (a major grey area when it comes to back injuries), I don't see how he can't be the same player he was before this season, a project 3B who could pay off down the road - admittedly that's a pretty big if...
But this lineup doesn't need another project or flawed hitter.
If the salary space doesn't allow for Youkilis to come back, they could bring in Placido Polanco in fairly cheap as a one-year stopgap.
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