"Just because the Red Sox knew the news was coming didn't make the latest dose of misery any easier to swallow.

All-Star first baseman Kevin Youkilis will undergo thumb surgery this morning in Cleveland and miss the rest of the season, the latest casualty of the team's unprecedented injury epidemic.

"It's a major hit," said designated hitter David Ortiz. "Things just got worse around here, huh?"

Dr. Thomas Graham, a noted Cleveland specialist, will operate on Youkilis. He examined Youkilis yesterday and concurred with the initial diagnosis of team physician Dr. Thomas Gill that surgery would be the best option."