"Kevin Youkilis' absence from the Red Sox lineup will be short-lived.

Youkilis, who fouled a pitch off his left shin in the first inning Thursday night, didn't start last night against the Los Angeles Angels. But he said there's "no doubt" he will be able to play tonight when the Angels send right-hander Ervin Santana to the mound.

"I'm doing better," said Youkilis, who was available to pinch-hit but stayed on the bench for the 4-3 victory over the Angels. "Basically, it's a lot better than it was (Thursday), so that's a good sign."

Youkilis, the Red Sox' cleanup-hitting third baseman, left Thursday night's game in the second inning and went for X-rays, which came back negative. However, manager Terry Francona reported that Youkilis remained sore in the area where the shin and ankle meet.

"I've fouled balls off pretty hard before. I didn't think it was as bad as it could be," Youkilis said. "I think I was more concerned with the reaction of (athletic trainer) Mike Reinold. There were a couple of points he pushed on, and he got a little nervous and said, 'Yeah, we'd better go check this out.' So, we got everything done, and everything came out well, and luckily nothing was broken.""