The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Sunday morning that shortstop Hanley Ramirez was being reinstated from the 15-day disabled list because of a right oblique strain.
Ramirez suffered the injury on Aug. 5 in Milwaukee while drawing a walk early in the game, and for a Dodgers lineup that's been offensively inconsistent, Ramirez's presence goes a long way toward making life easier for manager Don Mattingly while harder for opponents.
"It'd be good to have him back in there, honestly," admitted Mattingly before the game against the New York Mets. "It changes the lineup from the standpoint of the length of it and the number of guys you have to go through just to navigate it. He's a dangerous guy in that lineup, so it's good to have him back."
Ramirez, who's batting .277 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs in 100 games, will return to the starting lineup, albeit in a different spot. The majority of his at-bats have come in the third spot, but Mattingly opted to bat Ramirez fifth in an effort to help ease his way back into every-day action.
Still, Mattingly stressed that the injury-prone infielder won't be handled with kid gloves upon being declared healthy again.
"We're not really gonna try to be that cautious," said Mattingly. "You just play him. Obviously, you're not gonna run him into the ground. If he's not feeling good or something's going on, then we give him a break. With the days off coming, we'll just kind of play it by ear."
To make room for Ramirez on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
In other positive health news for the Dodgers, Mattingly said pitcher Zack Greinke, who'd been battling elbow soreness, felt "good" after Saturday's night start.