"One of the few bright spots in the Red Sox' 11-4 loss to the Texas Rangers yesterday at Fenway Park was the performance of Kevin Youkilis, who was playing in just his third game following a 15-day stint on the disabled list with back woes.

After going 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in first two games, the third baseman went 2-for-4 in yesterday's loss, including an eighth-inning double off Rangers reliever Mike Gonzalez.

"It's a work in progress," Youkilis said. "I have to work on my timing and get my swing down. It'll come."

Prior to being activated Friday, Youkilis had not played since Aug. 17, when he went 1-for-4 in a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. He was then placed on the DL because of what was described as a lower-back strain, and was not eligible to return until Friday — after playing a two-game rehabilitation stint with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Youkilis said he wasn't concerned about going hitless in his first two games back, saying he "hit the ball hard the last two games and had nothing to show for it." Besides, he said, "It takes a while when you haven't been around.""