By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET --- Josh Reddick was at McCoy Stadium on Thursday -- for less than a half hour.
The talented 22-year-old outfielder, who is the No. 5 prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization, was supposed to make his Triple-A debut that night with the Pawtucket Red Sox after spending the past four games on the road with the Red Sox.
But Reddick was forced to return to the parent club when outfielder Rocco Baldelli landed on the 15-day disabled list that afternoon with a foot injury, and before he could get to know his new teammates, he was on the road to the Bronx for Boston’s four-game series with the New York Yankees.
“I barely saw the guy,” admitted PawSox catcher Mark Wagner, who was a teammate of Reddick’s at the start of the year with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. “One minute he was here, and the next minute he was gone.” 
Reddick’s return to the Red Sox comes at a time when left fielder Jason Bay is day-to-day with a hamstring injury, there are no other backup outfielders, and corner infielder Kevin Youkilis was forced to start in left in Thursday’s series opener.
Reddick was batting .277 with 13 homers and 29 RBIs with Portland before making the quantum leap to the Red Sox last Friday night before their three-games series in Baltimore against the Orioles.
And Reddick shined in his first big league appearances, going 5-for-6 with three doubles, a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
Reddick, who was Boston’s 17th-round pick in the 2006 MLB draft, came into this season with a .309 average in two full pro seasons split among the Single-A Greenville Drive and Lancaster Jethawks and Sea Dogs. In 219 games, he had 263 hits, 41 homers, and 163 RBIs.

A shortage of infielders
Entering Thursday night’s game against the Norfolk Tides, the PawSox had just four infielders available for duty, not counting rehabbing first baseman Jeff Bailey, who is coming back from a high ankle sprain.
Third baseman Angel Chavez, who was forced to leave Wednesday night’s game with biceps tendonitis in his right arm, will sit out the next 2-3 days, noted PawSox manager Ron Johnson.
The PawSox started Bailey with second baseman Jeff Natale, third baseman Travis Denker, and shortstop Ivan Ochoa. Aaron Bates, the team’s starting first baseman, entered the game in the seventh as a pinch-runner for Bailey.
Middle infielder and defensive standout Gil Velazquez, who was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon so they could make room on their 40-man roster for recently-promoted southpaw reliever Billy Traber, should be back with the team by Monday.
  
Notes: The series with the Tides continues tonight and tomorrow, with Kris Johnson (3-12, 6.43) taking the mound in tonight’s 7:05 p.m. game against Radhames Liz (0-3, 3.53). Tomorrow’s game will take place in the nightcap of the Futures at Fenway Park doubleheader in Boston (45 minutes after the conclusion of the Double-A contest between the Sea Dogs and the Bowie Baysox), and Junichi Tazawa (0-2, 2.38) will seek his third straight strong start against Jake Arrieta (3-5, 4.92), the No. 4 prospect in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization. The doubleheader will be televised live on NESN. … Tonight will also be PawSox Replica Jersey night, and the first 5,000 fans entering the stadium will receive a red PawSox jersey with Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s No. 15 on it.