Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs

June 15, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Aaron Adams
Edited by Ryan Dodson

On Wednesday, June 6, fans of the Chicago Cubs celebrated a victory and series win against the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers allowing them to move to just 6 1/2 games out in the standings. But all was still not right in Chicago as Cubs fans everywhere were worried about All-Star third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who came hobbling off the field in the second inning shortly after reaching first base on a throwing error by Milwaukee shortstop J.J. Hardy. 

Initial Outlook

Ramirez hurt his knee earlier in the year in a May 11-13 series against the Philadelphia Phillies and said that his knee had been bothering him for several weeks. An MRI taken on June 7 revealed that the All-Star had a serious case of patellar tendonitis or "jumper's knee", which is simply the inflammation of the tendons around the knee. 

Originally listed as day-to-day, Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday, retroactive to June 7, and could return to the lineup as early as June 23. The Cubs replaced Ramirez on the roster by reinstating outfielder Cliff Floyd from the bereavement list. Infielder Mark DeRosa will man third base while infielder Ryan Theriot will handle second and rookie second basemen Mike Fontenot will also see an increase in playing time.  

The injury to Ramirez was a big blow to a team that had just begun gaining ground with Ramirez hitting with a .360 average with nine runs, four home runs and 11 RBI in his last 20 games. 

Fantasy Impact 

Ramirez is slated to miss at least a week, but the injury isn't cause for too much concern - meaning that you will only need to look to temporarily replace him in the lineup. Consider Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, who is available in 92 percent of leagues and has been red-hot lately hitting a .455 average with 11 runs, three homers and 14 RBI in his last 10 games, ride out his hot streak while you can. 

If Inge is unavailable in your league consider Cincinnati Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion who seems to have turned a corner since being recalled from Triple-A as he has hit .342 with 10 runs, three home runs and 13 RBI in 21 games since rejoining the big league roster. Encarnacion is owned in only 7 percent of fantasy leagues. 

Also consider Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman and leadoff hitter Jose Bautista, who also has outfield eligibility. Bautista should be a consistent source of runs hitting at the top of the order and has some power and speed. On the season he is hitting .279 with 38 runs, five home runs, 19 RBI and three stolen bases and is available in even the shallowest of leagues as he is only 1 percent owned.

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Aaron Adams
Aaron has been with KFFL since 2007.

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