There goes another overpaid, underachieving SS

I might have been Julio Lugo's biggest advocate during his 2+ years with the Boston Red Sox. I endured countless snide remarks about his poor play, both at the dish and in the field. I kept the faith, even when he left me no reason to. I remember the days he hit at or close to .300 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and kept waiting for him to hit like he did then. And kept waiting. And kept waiting.

When Lugo blamed his poor 2008 campaign on being lactose intolerant, I believed him. And I still do. His downfall in 2009 wasn't even so much his own fault - he was hitting a respectable .284 with a home run and three steals in 37 games. He never lost the job. Quite frankly, Nick Green won it.

Green, a veteran journeyman, impressed the team with his performance in spring training and kept it going when given the chance during the regular season. That, couple with last year's emergence of Jed Lowrie, gave Boston three players for two spots.

Lugo stayed on the roster after Lowrie went down with an injured wrist, but everyone knew that Lugo stood as the odd man out when Lowrie was healthy enough to return.

Today, Lowrie returns to the Sox. Lugo does not.

Lugo was designated for assignment today by Boston in a move that allows them to activate both Lowrie and Mike Lowell from the disabled list. The Red Sox have 10 days to trade him or to release him outright, with the latter being the overwhelming probability. In either case, the Sox will be responsible for a few million dollars of Lugo's remaining contract.

Nevertheless, it solves a problem at the shortstop position for the Red Sox. Even as a fan of Lugo's, it was a move which had to happen.

Here's hoping he doesn't get picked up by an AL team and go Ronny Cedeno on the Sox during the last couple weeks of September.