Kevin Youkilis changes Sox

Kevin Youkilis changes Sox

The nameplate above the corner locker at the far end of the Red Sox [team stats]’ clubhouse was gone before the end of yesterday’s game.

And now, so is Kevin Youkilis [stats].

A trade that had become inevitable over the past few weeks has turned into a reality. The Red Sox sent their hard-nosed corner infielder, one of the last links to the 2004 World Series champs, to the Chicago White Sox for utilityman Brent Lillibridge and Triple-A right-hander Zach Stewart. The Red Sox also agreed to pay $5.5 million of the nearly $7 million remaining on Youkilis’ contract.

The deal became apparent in the bottom of the seventh inning of the Red Sox’ 9-4 win over the Atlanta Braves when Youkilis was lifted for a pinch-runner, triggering a stirring Fenway Park [map] farewell that included a curtain call and one more boisterous “Yoooooouk!”

“It’s an emotional time for everyone â€" for Kevin, for his teammates,” general manager Ben Cherington said a few hours later, after the White Sox concluded their game in Chicago and the trade became official. “Kevin has been here for a long time and has been a great player and played hard every inning he’s been out there.”

But everyone, including Youkilis, realized the time had come for a parting.

A three-time All-Star and former MVP candidate, Youkilis has been overrun by injuries in the past two seasons. Even since returning last month from a three-week stint on the disabled list, his production slid to the depths of a .233 batting average with only four homers, 14 RBI and an un-Youk-like .315 on-base percentage.

Youkilis also has clashed since April with manager Bobby Valentine. And given the rapid emergence of rookie Will Middlebrooks, Cherington spent the past few weeks listening to offers for Youkilis, knowing the 33-year-old’s value rarely had been lower.

A few teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates, kicked the tires. The Los Angeles Dodgers expressed interest. But when third baseman Brett Morel got injured, the White Sox needed Youkilis as much as the Red Sox needed to trade him.

“We were trying to find a resolution that worked for everyone,” said Cherington, who took minimal pause at trading Youkilis within the American League to a potential wild card competitor. “Kevin’s been an everyday player for pretty much his entire career. With the way Middlebrooks has been playing, Middlebrooks needs to be in the lineup. Once we came to that conclusion, we talked about it and decided that if there was a trade that made sense for us and for Kevin and everyone involved that we would pursue that.”

Stewart was a key piece to the deal, according to Cherington. Although the 25-year-old right-hander will report to Triple-A Pawtucket and already had been traded by Cincinnati and Toronto, the Red Sox believe he can add depth to the starting rotation, even though he has a 5.92 ERA in 31 games for the White Sox and Blue Jays over the past two seasons.

Lillibridge, a .215 career hitter, will join the Red Sox and provide versatility. In five seasons with the Braves and White Sox, he has played every position except catcher and pitcher.

After sitting out the past three games, Youkilis returned to the lineup yesterday. He received a standing ovation in the second inning before his first at-bat, then left Cherington holding his breath in the third when he took a line drive off his left hand.

By the seventh inning, Cherington passed word to the dugout that a trade was near.

“A minute before he was going to the batter’s box, Ben called me down to the runway and said, ‘There’s a situation pending,’” Valentine said. “We said, ‘OK, we’ll do it the right way.’ Someone was looking down because that’s the right way.”