by By STEVE BUCKLEY , The Boston Herald

The season was barely into its third week. Outfielder Rocco Baldelli went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Mark Kotsay, who can play center field and first base, still was on the disabled list, recovering from off-season back surgery.

Don't forget about shortstop. Julio Lugo opened the season on the disabled list as he continued his comeback from knee surgery, and within a couple of weeks Jed Lowrie was getting an operation on his left wrist.

Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka was disabled for what at the time was described as a mild shoulder strain.

And then in early May, first baseman Kevin Youkilis went on the DL with a left oblique strain.

Oh, and David Ortiz wasn't hitting.

It is important to remember just how bad things were back then, as the Red Sox now undergo a new round of injuries. Matsuzaka was re-shelved 10 days ago, his previous time on the DL having done little to bring health and prosperity to his ailing right shoulder. And yesterday, the Sox decided that the best way to treat third baseman Mike Lowell's balky right hip is give him some time off. So now he, too, is on the DL.

The last time the Sox faced a crisis of depth, their solution was to do nothing. Rather than make a panic trade and deal a Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard or Michael Bowden to bring in reinforcements, they rode out the storm with what they had.

And it worked.

Nick Green, who came to spring training hoping to latch on as a utility infielder, emerged as a pleasant surprise as the everyday shortstop. Youkilis came off the DL and went on a tear. Baldelli returned. Kotsay, too. And Ortiz went into last night's game against the Orioles hitting .303 (23-for-76) since the last day of May.

So here's the question: If waiting out the injuries worked then, can it work now? To put it another way, this is no time for the Red Sox to deal one of those young pitching studs for somebody to fill a hole. Let's not forget that the Sox have been no lower than second place in the American League East standings since April 22, and have been in first place since June 10.

It's all because the Sox have been served well by their depth. And Francona points out that, as the Red Sox have found their depth, they also have found a personality he believes was missing earlier in the season.

``It's evolving,'' Francona said. ``We're GETTING a personality. I obviously don't like guys getting hurt, but I love the fact that the guys who have stepped in have helped shape the personality of this team. You see it in the dugout, and that's good. It's hard to describe. Every year, you watch to see if your team is going to get a personality. They're all different.

``We all remember 2004, and the personality that team developed. This team is now starting to play for something.''

Yes, a series of dramatic midseason moves reshaped the 2004 Red Sox . But they were moves that to be made. The '04 Sox needed the infield stability that Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz provided, and need we remind you about the season-saving, history-making role Dave Roberts played?

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein should be ever mindful of making moves that can tweak, and thus improve, the roster. Those kind of moves generally don't cost much.

But for now, he needn't concern himself with ripping the roster apart.

The Red Sox have been banged up since Opening Day, no doubt. But they have done more than find their way. They have found their personality.

- sbuckley@bostonherald.com

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