Manny Ramirez has made his way back into the Dodgers' lineup for the first time since July 16. He's missed the last 33 games with a strained calf. Juan Castro has been designated for assignment to make room.
In his first game back, Manny hit third in the order and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before Reed Johnson replaced him in the sixth. On the year, he's hitting .312 with eight homers and 39 RBIs.
There's a couple of interesting stories that will play out now that Manny's back. One is to see if he can actually stay healthy this time. He's already been on the DL three times this season, and for a 38-year-old man, it's safe to say his body takes longer to bounce back from injuries. Plus there's the assumption that he's no longer taking certain "other" remedies for his body anymore...
The other is if he'll remain with the Dodgers the rest of the season. There's still time to send Manny to another team before the August 31 waiver deadline. The Dodgers are still mathematically alive for the postseason, but since they're 11 games in back of the Padres and seven in back of the wild card, the chances of getting in are very slim.
Any team that can swing a deal for Manny would get a nice boost, especially if he's the DH. Who wouldn't want four swings a game from one of the all-time great power hitters? It will be interesting to see which teams might attempt to make a move for him. Stay tuned.
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