White Sox welcome their newest teammate Manny Ramirez, will start Wednesday
The Chicago White Sox acquired some help in the batter’s box as they claimed Manny Ramirez off waivers and he joined the club Tuesday. The White Sox will pay off the remainder of Ramirez’s salary through this season as agreed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The White Sox will insert Ramirez as their designated hitter and should give them a boost offensively. Ramirez has been injured most of the season and was suspended for a good part of last season which led to the Dodgers placing him on waivers. Ramirez also waived his no-trade clause to join the Sox who are four games back in the race for the AL Central.
Ramirez has played in only 66 games this year but he has still shown that he can be effective. He has hit eight home runs and 40 RBIs in his limited action. He always seems to elevate his game towards the end of the season and especially when the playoffs roll around. Ramirez is of course known for being a great slugger but also being colourful and controversial and can sometimes cause headaches for his team. The Boston Red Sox would always dismiss it as “Manny being Manny” but were eventually fed up and traded him to L.A in 2008.
Ramirez’s signature dreadlocks will have to be trimmed as well as he joins his new team. The White Sox have an appearance policy and Ramirez will have to accept it if he wants to play. He’s not in Tuesday’s starting line-up but he will be available as a pinch-hitter. He’s expected to get the start on Wednesday when he will begin his new role as a designated hitter. Some are sceptical about Ramirez’s move to Chicago, thinking he may be more of a liability than an asset. White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen has no concerns and thinks Ramirez can take this as a fresh start.
"I want him to feel comfortable here," Ozzie Guillen said. "I want him to like it here. I want him to have fun and I want him to be Manny."
His new team-mates are welcoming him as well. The White Sox need some fire-power which Ramirez can bring as well as the swagger he can bring to the ball club.
"Hopefully, he can come in here and give us some help," White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said. "We need to make up some ground. There's no doubt Manny can hit. He makes any team better."
This will likely be Ramirez’s audition for a contract this off-season. He likely won’t get the kind of contract the Dodgers gave him and it appears any future he has in baseball is in the American League where he can be a designated hitter. If he can bring the White Sox to the play-offs, then he’ll have earned new respect and the 38-year-old should then be back next year.
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