Injury bug strikes again, claims Will Middlebrooks as most recent victim

The Red Sox have endured their share of issues this season; it is difficult to think of an aspect of the team that has not been a problem during the 2012 season. One of the biggest issues to plague the club all year long, however, has been the injury bug.

The bug struck again Friday night, as rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning of the Red Sox’s 3-2 win over the Indians and reportedly broke his wrist. The injury clearly means a trip to the DL for Middlebrooks and could cost him the rest of his rookie season.

In 75 games this season, the rookie hit .288 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs.

The 23-year-old will have plenty of company on the DL. He will be the 29th player the Red Sox have shelved so far this season, an astounding number compared to the amount of players other AL East teams have had to put on the DL. The AL East-leading Yankees have put the fewest number of players on the DL (14), followed by the Rays (15) and then the Blue Jays and Orioles (17 each).

Here’s a complete list of Red Sox players on the DL (excluding Middlebrooks) this season:

1. Bobby Jenks (2/21/12) – back surgery, 60-day DL
2. John Lackey (2/21) – Tommy John surgery, 60-day DL
3. Andrew Miller (3/26) – strained hamstring, 15-day DL
4. Rich Hill (3/26) – elbow surgery, 15-day DL
5. Carl Crawford (3/26) – wrist surgery, 60-day DL
6. Daisuke Matsuzaka (3/26) – Tommy John surgery, 60-day DL
7. Andrew Bailey (4/4) – right thumb surgery, 60-day DL
8. Ryan Kalish (4/4) – left shoulder surgery, 60-day DL
9. Chris Carpenter (4/4) – elbow surgery, 60-day DL
10. Jacoby Ellsbury (4/14) –shoulder subluxation, 60-day DL
11. Jason Repko (4/21) – shoulder separation, 60-day DL
12. Kevin Youkilis (4/29) – lower back tightness, 15-day DL
13. Aaron Cook (5/6) – left knee laceration, 15-day DL
14. Darnell McDonald (5/12) – strained oblique, 15-day DL
15. Cody Ross (5/19) – fractured foot, 15-day DL
16. Ryan Sweeney (5/22) – concussion, 7-day DL
17. Rich Hill x2 (6/9) – elbow strain, 60-day DL
18.  Josh Beckett (6/12) – right shoulder inflammation, 15-day DL
19. Ryan Sweeney x2 (6/17) – toe discomfort, 15-day DL
20. Scott Podsednik (6/18) – groin injury, 15-day DL
21. Clay Buchholz (6/20) – gastrointestinal illness, 15-day DL
22. Daisuke Matsuzaka x2 (7/3) – neck injury, 15-day DL
23. Dustin Pedroia (7/4) – jammed thumb, 15-day DL
24. Scott Atchison (7/14) – forearm tightness, 15-day DL
25. David Ortiz (7/17) – right Achilles strain, 15-day DL
26. Daniel Nava (7/29) – sprained wrist, 15-day DL
27. Ryan Sweeney x3 (7/31) – fractured hand, 60-day DL
28. Vincente Padilla – strained right biceps, 15-day DL

Boston Red SoxCarl CrawfordDaisuke MatsuzakaDavid OrtizDustin PedroiainjuriesJacoby EllsburyKevin YoukilisMLBRyan SweeneyWill Middlebrooks