He was never benched. Go back and look at the box scores and who the Brewers were facing at the end and early August. A ton of left-handed pitchers. Also, Hall got occasional starts against righty's up until Branyan's injury, probably because he was hitting decent for a week or so following the St. Louis series. Then as it got closer to Branyan's DL stint, Counsell and Russell were splitting time a little more, probably because Yost likes having Counsell on the field or in the lineup. I get that everyone in here HATES the idea of Counsell as the regular 3B, so do I. But the bench guys do need occasional starts, and that's what he was getting before Branyan's injury. There's zero evidence Russell was in Yost's doghouse. I have a good feeling that if he's healthy 3TO will get the majority of starts against RHP when he returns. But like Durham at 2B, let's remember Russell isn't exactly a HOF player. He's very good against righties and has a good on base. He should start more against them, but it's not like we're adding another Braun or Fielder to the lineup or a golden glove in the infield.