BALTIMORE -- By the end of the weekend, Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez
might have a bat in his hands. Not for game action, mind you, but once
Ramirez can resume swinging, he'll be in the final stages of his
return to the cleanup spot.

Sidelined with a strained left oblique that he suffered on Aug. 28,
Ramirez has been doing a lot of indoor work, but no baseball
activities. Red Sox manager Terry Francona is confident that will
change soon.

"He's getting close to kind of resuming baseball activities, which is
good," Francona said. "Maybe Sunday -- we'll see."

With all the work Ramirez has been doing to keep himself in shape, his
return to the lineup should come relatively soon after he resumes
baseball activities.

Ramirez, who has been working out in Boston, flew back to his home in
South Florida on Friday afternoon to take care of a personal matter.
His return ticket to Boston is for Sunday morning, at which point he
might be permitted to start taking some swings, even if it's just off
a tee.

Francona said that Ramirez will work out at a facility near his home
during his short trip to Florida.

Whenever Ramirez does return to the lineup, the Red Sox want to make
sure he's good to go and not risking a setback. That's why it's been
delicate as far as setting a specific timetable for his return.

"I can try to help with timetables," Francona said. "There really
isn't one. It's kind of how people feel."

Source: Ian Browne / MLB.com