5/29 Lineup & Ramirez update
Aramis Ramirez did not start Saturday but spent batting practice testing some new tweaks made to his bat in an attempt to alleviate whatever is aggravating his left thumb. Ramirez started on Friday for the first time since May 22, but the at-bats bothered his thumb, which is tender at the base.
“We put a little donut on it and we put some padding on the bat,” Lou Piniella said. “He’s going to change his grip a little bit and he’s going to try some things in [batting practice] here so we can get him to the point where it doesn’t bother him when he swings.”
The adjustments are “minor, nothing major,” Piniella said.
There’s no word on whether Ramirez would be available Sunday for the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s batting .164, and has been struggling with the thumb injury for quite a while. The Cubs are trying to find a more permanent cure so they can keep the third baseman in the lineup.
Here’s the lineup for Saturday:
RF Fukudome
2B Theriot
1B Lee
LF Soriano
CF Byrd
3B Fontenot
C Soto
SS Castro
P Silva
– Carrie Muskat
mlblogsmuskat1
As long as Fontenot is hitting like that, why not give the thumb a good chance to heal. If he heals, and has some rest, he may get back to being the Aramis we remember. If he is pushed into action before he is well, he might struggle the whole season.