BOSTON --
En route to returning to the major league roster, Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez will first take his comeback on the road with a pit-stop in Pawtucket.
Sidelined for the last four and a half weeks with a broken left index finger, Ramirez will start a rehab assignment with the Pawtucket Red Sox. Ramirez will be the designated hitter tonight against Richmond and again tomorrow night against Syracuse before moving to the outfield over the weekend.
If Ramirez doesn't suffer any setbacks, he'll re-join the Red Sox in San Diego for a series which begins Tuesday.
Limited by bad weather yesterday afternoon, Ramirez still managed to take batting practice in the cage underneath the center field bleachers. It was the third straight day in which Ramirez successfully swung the bat.
Afterward, he met with manager Grady Little and they agreed on the trip to Pawtucket. Originally, Little had proposed that Ramirez return to the major league lineup once he was given clearance, but Ramirez suggested a brief stint in the minors to get his timing back at the plate.
"It seems like he's ready to give it a shot," said Little. "He's ready to play. He just wants to give it a shot."
Should Ramirez return to the lineup Tuesday, the Red Sox won't have the luxury of having him as the designated hitter because they'll be playing by National League rules in interleague play.
But Little said the Sox "won't hesitate" to have Ramirez play the outfield.
Before last night's game, the Red Sox were 17-12 in the 29 games Ramirez missed since an ill-advised head-first slide into home at Seattle's Safeco Field resulted in the broken finger.
"For us to say it doesn't mean a lot to have him back would be lying," Little said. Even after missing almost five weeks, Ramirez is still tied for second on the team in homers and third in RBI.
Yet the Sox survived better than some had forecast when Ramirez first went down with the injury. Brian Daubach took Ramirez's place -- both in left field and in the cleaup spot in the batting order -- and knocked in 20 RBI in the first 29 games without Ramirez.
"The ballclub held its head above water when he was out," said Little. "It says a lot about the quality of the depth we have, to (play well) for such a long period of time."
