Yankees place Youkilis on DL

New York Yankees third baseman Kevin Youkilis was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a lumbar spine sprain.

Youkilis, 34, had missed eight of the Yankees' past nine games with the back issue. Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters that an MRI didn't show anything, but Youkilis was scheduled to receive an epidural injection Tuesday to relieve discomfort.

He's batting .266 with two homers and seven RBIs in 17 games. He played Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, but felt pain Sunday.

"It was just one of those things waking up, and I didn't feel right," Youkilis told reporters Monday. "Sometimes, after your adrenaline's gone, things occur to you. We've just got to find out what's going on."

Infielder Corban Joseph, 24, was recalled from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre to replace Youkilis on the roster. Joseph was batting .273 with four homers and nine RBIs in 22 games.