 05/12/2002 9:42 pm ET
Ramirez out four to six weeks
Slugger to undergo additional tests Monday
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
SEATTLE -- The Red Sox are likely to be without cleanup hitter Manny Ramirez for at least the next month. A day after Ramirez fractured his left index finger, Dr. Bill Morgan -- Boston's team physician -- estimated that it would take four to six weeks for the injury to heal properly.
Ramirez sustained the injury Saturday night, as he made a head-first dive into home plate.
His finger got caught in the shin guard of Mariners catcher Dan Wilson. After the X-rays
revealed the fracture, Ramirez flew home to Boston Sunday morning to have the finger
examined by Morgan.
Morgan confirmed the fracture -- which occurred in the PIP joint of Ramirez's finger -- and
will proceed with further tests on Monday. At that point, it will be determined if Ramirez
needs surgery.
Whether the injury requires surgery or not, Morgan expected the four-to-six week timetable
to remain.
"The CT-scan will give more indication of how to treat it the best," said Morgan. "The bone
is going to require at least four to six weeks to heal, and my own feeling is that it's
going to be that number of weeks regardless of the treatment."
Thanks in large part to Ramirez's lethal bat, which has produced a .372 average with nine
homers and 35 RBIs, the Red Sox came into Sunday with a 24-9 record, good for the best
wining percentage (.727) in the game. But they will be hard-pressed to keep up that pace
with Ramirez absent.
In Sunday night's game in Seattle, the Sox compensated for Ramirez's absence by playing
Rickey Henderson in left and placing DH Brian Daubach in the cleanup spot.
Manny Ramirez
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"It would be unfair to ask one player to step up and do what Manny Ramirez does and can do
for a ballclub," said Sox manager Grady Little. "As far as continuing on this road of
success, everyone is going to have to chip in and do a little bit more.
"You could possibly see Nomar Garciaparra hitting fourth against lefties. We'll have Daubach
in there against the righty tonight."
The Red Sox will wait until Tuesday, when they open a homestand against the Oakland
Athletics, to place Ramirez on the disabled list. The team is off Monday.
Michael Coleman and Edgar Clemente are the most likely candidates to take the roster spot,
barring an acquisition from outside the organization.
Ian Browne covers the Red Sox for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by
Major League Baseball or any of its clubs.
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