Middlebrooks is out of the lineup again Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic reports.

Middlebrooks will receive a second straight day off Thursday, with Yangervis Solarte starting in his place. His slow start to the season overall could lead to more days off in the future, but there's been no indication of a permanent shift at this point.

Middlebrooks is out of the lineup Wednesday, Padres' radio announcer Bob Scanlan reports.

This appears to just be a standard day off, as Cory Spangenberg gets the start at the hot corner. Middlebrooks may start seeing more unpredictable playing time with his batting average sitting below the Mendoza Line.

Middlebrooks will be out of the lineup Sunday against the Rockies, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Despite his porous .245 on-base percentage on the season, Middlebrooks has more or less maintained a full-time role at third base for the Padres this season. Fortunately, Middlebrooks' struggles have been overshadowed by those of Jedd Gyorko, who has lost more at-bats to hot-hitting super-utility man Yangervis Solarte. The Padres seem inclined to let Middlebrooks work through his slump, but considering that he had just a .284 career OBP coming into the season, his chances of emerging as anything more than a low-end fantasy option at third base appear remote.

Middlebrooks has appeared in all 23 of San Diego's games thus far, making 20 starts at third base. He has gotten off to a slow start with a .222 batting average and 19 strikeouts, but has driven in 11 runs.

He has bounced around in the order, mostly sticking in the fifth or seventh slot for the Padres. Middlebrooks' has actually struggled more against left-handed pitching (.211 BA) than right handers (.226), although neither figure is particularly impressive. He is only viable in deeper leagues at this point.

Middlebrooks is out of the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Middlebrooks will forgo a start at the hot corner for just the third time in 20 games this season, allowing Yangervis Solarte to take over at third base while Jedd Gyorko returns to the keystone. Chalk this up as a routine maintenance day for the veteran.

Middlebrooks is out of the lineup Thursday, Padres' radio announcer Bob Scanlan reports.

Yangervis Solarte will get the start at third base Thursday as Middlebrooks gets an off day against righty Jordan Lyles. It has been a pretty impressive start to the season for Middlebrooks, particularly in the power department. He is slugging .484 with three homers and he also has two steals, which is the most surprising part of his stat line. His previous season high for steals is four in 286 plate appearances in 2012, so it will be interesting to see if he continues to be active on the bases.

Middlebrooks is out of the lineup Friday.

He will get his first day off of the season, and make way for Cory Spangenberg to get the start at the hot corner. Middlebrooks is 3-for-18 (.167) with a home run and two RBI so far this season. One cause for concern, however, is that he already has seven strikeouts through four games.

Middlebrooks, who has played exclusively at third base this spring, appears to have the inside track at winning the starting third base job while Yangervis Solarte is more likely to assume a platoon role, the Union-Tribune reports.

Middlebrooks is batting .333 with two home runs and seven RBI this spring wile making all of his appearances at the hot corner. Coming into camp it looked like he would have an uphill battle at unseating Solarte for the third base job, but Middlebrooks has played well enough in the field and at the dish to become the likely candidate to win the starting role.

Middlebrooks is batting .364 with two home runs, two doubles, and four RBI in 22 at-bats this spring.

Middlebrooks has only played at third base this spring as he continues to compete with Yangervis Solarte for the starting job this spring. It doesn't look like any definitive decisions regarding the third base spot will be made until much closer to opening day with both Solarte and Middlebrooks having strong starts to camp. Jeff Sanders of the Union-Tribune noted that Solarte has been used at three different infield spots this spring, which could mean that Middlebrooks has a slight edge right now.

Middlebrooks went 1-for-3 in his Padres debut Thursday and played third base.

Middlebrooks is vying with Yangervis Solarte for San Diego's starting third base job. The former Red Sox third baseman was acquired in December and is in the mix at both corner infield spots, but third base is the likelier landing spot. Solarte is the incumbent, but it appears that Middlebrooks will be given a fair shot at winning the job.

The Red Sox traded Middlebrooks to the Padres on Friday for catcher Ryan Hanigan, MLB.com reports.

After Middlebrooks hit .288/.325/.509 with 15 homers and 54 RBI in 75 games in 2012, there seemed to be little doubt that he was the future at third base for Boston. However, his luster has faded considerably since that time, as injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued him the past two years. Still, his pop alone may be enough to give him the inside track over Yangervis Solarte for the starting job at third base next season, but everything will hinge on the health of his hand come spring.

Middlebrooks (hand) said he's open to playing a new position, perhaps first base, WEEI.com reports. The third baseman's immediate future is unclear after Boston signed Pablo Sandoval to play third base.

It seems that Middlebrooks doesn't have a spot on Boston's roster in 2015 -- even if he transitioned to first base, Mike Napoli will block his playing time there. A trade to another organization is his best bet for major-league playing time, but he's still coming back from a hand injury. Things will remain unclear until spring training, when Middlebrooks' hand has completely healed and other organizations can get a good look at him.

Middlebrooks will not play winter-league baseball this offseason in order to rest his hand, WEEI's Alex Speier reports.

Missing out on more practice time is another cost of Middlebrooks' hand injury. Middlebrooks has a large host of talent breathing down his neck at third base for the future, with Xander Bogaerts and Brock Holt able to shift over to the hot corner and prized prospect Garin Cecchini making a strong debut in September.

Middlebrooks (hand) is out of Sunday's lineup against the Yankees, The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham reports.

It turns out Middlebrooks' right hand sprain will be season ending, as the soreness will force him to miss a sixth straight game. Garin Cecchini will continue to fill in for him at third,

Middlebrooks (hand) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

Middlebrooks will miss his fifth straight game Saturday. The Red Sox were hopeful that he would be able to play again this season, but they probably will not force him into the lineup Sunday if he is still sore. Garin Cecchini will man the hot corner Saturday in Middlebrooks' place.

Middlebrooks (hand) remains out of the lineup Friday against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Middlebrooks is set to miss a fourth straight start due to right hand soreness, but the Red Sox remain hopeful that he will return to the lineup before the end of the season. The hand has presented issues on and off this season, but manager John Farrell suggested he doesn't think that Middlebrooks' struggles can be attributed solely to the injury. "I don't think he's been limited any different than any other players who deal with nagging ailments over the course of a full season," Farrell said.

Middlebrooks (hand) is out of the lineup Thursday versus the Rays, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports.

Middlebrooks is dealing with a right hand sprain and will miss his third straight game. While the severity of the injury is unknown, the Sox certainly won't risk further damage with ultimately nothing to play for. Garin Cecchini again gets the nod at third base in Middlebrooks' place.

Middlebrooks (hand) is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

Middlebrooks was scratched from the lineup Tuesday with a right hand sprain, and will sit out at least another day. Garin Cecchini will start at third in his place.

Middlebrooks was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a right hand sprain.

While it sounds like something that could limit Middlebrooks at least through the end of the Tampa series, the team lists him as just day-to-day. Garin Cecchini is starting at third base Tuesday and will likely remain there until Middlebrooks is cleared to return.

Middlebrooks has been scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.

Both Middlebrooks and Xander Bogaerts were removed from the lineup, but whereas Bogaerts had a pre-existing neck injury, a reason for Middlebrooks' scratch is uncertain. Look for the team to elaborate before too long. Garin Cecchini starts at third base and bats seventh.