The Red Sox will absorb all but $2 million of the $7.8 million still owed to Youkilis, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

"There is no way we are not a better team with Kevin Youkilis," White Sox captain Paul Konerko said. "He is just too good of a player and has been through all the wars and is still relatively a young guy. We just have to keep him on the field. If that is the case, it could be one of the bigger steals of the season."

Will Middlebrooks' emergence in Boston made Youkilis expendable after a successful 8½-year run with the Red Sox. The versatile All-Star, who can play both corner infield spots, is a career .287 hitter with 133 homers and 563 RBIs.

"I think we were trying to find a solution that worked for everyone," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said. "Kevin's been an everyday player since he's been here, and with the way Middlebrooks has been playing, Middlebrooks needs to be in the lineup. That's pretty clear."

Middlebrooks is hitting .326, and his sacrifice fly in a 9-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday gave him 34 RBIs in his first 41 games, the most by an American League player in his first 41 games since Wally Joyner had 39 in 1986.

Middlebrooks credited Youkilis for teaching him the right way to play, posting this message on Twitter on Sunday night: "It was truely an honor playing with and learning from Youk... He's the definition of a professional. Played the game right."

Youkilis has been hampered by a variety of injuries the past 2½ seasons. He missed three weeks earlier this season with back discomfort and was limited to 120 games in 2011 and 102 in '10.

"We were given a good bill of health on him," White Sox GM Kenny Williams said. "He said he hasn't felt this good physically for a long time. He said he is very excited to join our club and he has a little bit of edge to him, which I like. I can't tell you exactly what he said, but he wants to come in and prove some people wrong."

Youkilis, who had been held out of the lineup for three straight days, started at third base and hit sixth Sunday against the Braves. When he left the game for a pinch runner after hitting a triple in the bottom of the seventh inning, he received a long standing ovation, blew a kiss to the sellout crowd at Fenway Park and hugged his teammates.

At the strong urging of Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, with whom Youkilis has had some public disagreements, Youkilis came out for a curtain call. Youkilis also received a standing ovation when he came to bat in the bottom of the second inning.

Prior to the bottom of the seventh, Cherington told Valentine in the tunnel from the dugout to the clubhouse that there was a "situation pending." As Youkilis stepped to the on-deck area, Valentine informed the players in the dugout of that situation.

Youkilis finished the game 2-for-4 and was 6-for-14 in his last four games with the Red Sox. He was a member of the 2004 and '07 championship teams, a three-time All-Star and a Gold Glover at first base.

His departure leaves David Ortiz as the only member of the 2004 championship team still with the Red Sox.