Yankees place Kevin Youkilis on 15-day DL, promote Corban Joseph

After Kevin Youkilis played for the first time in six days over the weekend, only to have his back lock right back up the next day, this was a move that seemed inevitable. MRI results from yesterday showed nothing to be too alarmed about, but a cortisone shot was still necessary, as well as a trip to the disabled list to keep the Yankees from having to play constantly short-handed for another week.

The disappointing part is that if Youkilis hadn't played this weekend, his DL stint could have been backdated to when he first began having trouble on the turf in Toronto. He played a game, he wasn't healed, and now here we are. A lumbar spine sprain, as it is being called, sounds terrifying.

The silver lining (at least for me) is that Youkilis' replacement comes in the form of Corban Joseph. Joseph likely got the nod over David Adams for being on the 40-man roster already, because why would the Yankees DFA Ben Francisco for any reason? Crazy talk, people.

In 22 games for the RailRiders this season, CoJo is batting .273/.347/.477 with four homers and one stolen base. Though his main position is second base, he will likely be called upon to play some third and maybe even some first while he is with the Yankees. Some growing pains in that department are to be expected as he adjusts to a position other than his own; but if the kid hits like he has in Triple-A, he's lightyears better than anything Ben Francisco has brought to the team.