Hooray, he's back!

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BOSTON -- Upon first glance at Red Sox manager Terry Francona's lineup
card, nothing had changed, and Manny Ramirez was going to be out of
the mix for the 25th game in a row with a strained left oblique. But
that was if you narrowed your attention to the No. 4 spot in the
lineup, where Ramirez has batted for the majority of his seven years
with the Red Sox.

As it turns out, Ramirez did return to the Boston lineup Tuesday night
in the opener of a two-game series against the Athletics. It's just
that the left fielder batted second, a spot in the order usually
reserved for table-setters instead of future Hall of Fame sluggers.

This was Francona's way of easing Ramirez back into the mix. As
planned, Ramirez left midway through the game.

"We could either pinch-hit him, because it's been 24 games, that's a
long time," said Francona before the game. "[But] what we'll do is
maybe play him part of a game and try to build up. ... It's not so
much the swinging I don't think, as standing in the outfield and
trying to go in directions that are not pre-conceived. We'll see how
that goes."

Ramirez went 1-for-2, singling to right and scoring a run in the
first, before popping out in the second. He walked in the fifth before
giving way to pinch-runner Brandon Moss.

"We'll try to get Manny to a point quickly where he's not only
comfortable in the batter's box, but able to stand out in left field
and play a full game," Francona said. "That's the whole hope."

Entering the game, Ramirez had only taken six at-bats in his entire
career batting in the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

"He's hitting second, so I think he'll move over the runners and play
small ball," quipped Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.

Speaking of Youkilis, who has missed the last eight games with a right
wrist contusion, he'll be back in there on Wednesday night.

Both Ramirez and Youkilis spent Monday's off-day taking batting
practice at a near-vacant Fenway Park. As it turns out, that session
helped pave the way for Ramirez's return.

How long will it take Ramirez to get his groove back?

"I hope about a half hour," quipped Francona. "I don't know. How do
you know? Nobody knows that. He swung the bat great yesterday. He was
hitting balls all over the place, but it's not a game. You don't know,
nobody really knows."

What everyone does know is that the Red Sox are a far more imposing
team with Ramirez than without him. At a time the Sox are trying to
win the American League East for the first time since 1995, they
welcomed back their right-handed hitting machine.

"He's been feeling better lately," said Red Sox designated hitter
David Ortiz. "He's been looking good when we hit in batting practice.
We hit in the same group and work out together. I could tell when he
was hurting. He was pushing the ball. He wasn't going through it like
he normally does. Lately he's been doing better. Hopefully, everything
goes well."

The Red Sox entered the night leading the Yankees by two games in the
AL East. Boston clinched a postseason berth over the weekend at Tampa
Bay. The magic number for clinching the division is five.

Boston went 12-12 during Ramirez's absence from the lineup.

Source: Ian Browne / MLB.com