Team still goes Green
Lugo returns but doesn't play
CLEVELAND - Julio Lugo returned to the Red Sox yesterday, but his name wasn't in the lineup. Instead, Nick Green, the fill-in shortstop who has hit a surprising .298 so far, was back in the No. 9 spot in the order.
Just because Lugo was activated - coming as the roster swap for Michael Bowden - didn't mean that Lugo was going to slide into starting immediately.
"I think he feels pretty good about himself," manager Terry Francona said. "I think he's still kind of working on strength, even though it's doing good. A lot of it is going to have to be on how he feels.
"Even when guys come in completely healthy and you go through spring training, it's usually every other day. Now you're coming off of knee surgery. He's got 12 at-bats under his belt. We'll pay attention to it.
"Nick's done a really good job, so there's no sense in pushing somebody just to see if you can get swelling. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
Green, who got the first hit off Cliff Lee last night (a single in the third), won't be relegated to the bench just yet. And Lugo seems fine with that.
"You want to play every day, but it's good," said Lugo, who had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee March 17.
"I just came in yesterday. I want to get my feet wet again with the guys, with the team. But it's fine.
"I've got to feel back in my role again. I feel good, my body's in shape. You've got to give your body the time to heal and make sure it's ready to play every day."
Lugo had two hits in each of his last two games with Pawtucket, and the pain that was there upon squatting or bending before his rehab stint is gone.
"The hardest part is sitting out," he said. "It's just not fun at all. It's a matter of feeling comfortable, knowing your body, that you're playing again.
"Your legs and your mind, your heart starts pumping a little faster. Then you feel comfortable again."
Over his career, Drew has been on the brittle side. But the tight left quadriceps that cut short his night seems to be less of a problem than Drew feared. He had said Sunday night that it felt like quad issues he had earlier in his career that cost him 4-6 weeks.
"Felt considerably looser than yesterday when I left," said Drew, who nevertheless was replaced in the lineup by Jeff Bailey last night (Drew pinch hit in the ninth and struck out).
"I don't know if it's more dehydration, cramping kind of issue or anything. I didn't want to risk really messing it up."
Drew might not have been in Sunday night's game at the end, but he was there for the most exciting play of the game - and perhaps of the season so far - as he was batting when Jacoby Ellsbury stole home.
"I told him he owed me a steak dinner or something - I didn't lay him out for the rest of the season," joked Drew, who said he considered squaring to bunt to keep catcher Jorge Posada out of the play.
"I thought it was cool."
Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com. 
