MILWAUKEE — Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday to rest his ailing left thumb in the midst of his season-long slump.
“Right now, I’m not helping the team, I’m not helping myself. I’m going to try to get it 100 percent and try to get back to the way that I was playing,” Ramirez said. “I tried to play through it. It didn’t work. I guess it’s time to let it heal now.”
It’s the latest blow in a disappointing year for Ramirez, who has hit .168 with five homers and 22 RBIs. Ramirez says he hurt the thumb while swinging in May against Cincinnati and pain and swelling has lingered ever since.
Infielder Chad Tracy was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take Ramirez’s place on the roster.
Zaun says his season over.
Brewers catcher Gregg Zaun will have season-ending shoulder surgery Tuesday, which will likely finish the veteran’s short stint in Milwaukee and maybe his career.
“I don’t need to play Major League Baseball to validate myself as a person,” Zaun said. “Do I want to play? That’s a different story. It’s too uncertain to tell. I’m really upset about having surgery and my season being over.”
Zaun, 39, has a career .252 average with 88 homers and 446 RBIs in 16 seasons.
Footnotes.
The Blue Jays activated right-hander Jesse Litsch from the 60-day disabled list and optioned left-handed reliever Rommie Lewis to Triple-A Las Vegas. Litsch, who had elbow ligament replacement surgery in June 2009, will replace left-hander Brian Tallet in the rotation and is scheduled to make his first start of the season Sunday at Colorado.
• Giants outfielder Mark DeRosa will have more tests today on his left wrist to find out what’s causing the numbness in his hand.
• The black Mizuno bat Pete Rose used for his final hit — record No. 4,256 — is being auctioned by a New York firm that expects it to become one of the most expensive bats ever sold.
The Associated Press
