Aramis Ramirez May Need Cortisone Shot In Sore Shoulder

After sitting out Sunday's game against the Rockies, Aramis Ramirez told reporters that his shoulder is still sore and that he may need a cortisone shot before the season is over. Either way, he doesn't appear likely to play Monday night and he's still not ruling out offseason surgery to repair the shoulder he dislocated in May.

When Ramirez first returned from the injury on July 6, the Cubs were 40-39, 2 1/2 games out of first in the NL Central and three games back in the wild-card chase. They're 15-10 with Ramirez in the lineup, and while they're not appreciably closer in either race (they're two games back of the Cardinals, Rockies, and Giants for the Central and wild card right now), they haven't fallen out of either yet.

But do the Cubs need Ramirez? Their surge in play correlates with his return, but he's not necessarily the cause. Ramirez's .874 OPS since his return isn't hurting the Cubs, but neither is Milton Bradley's return to form, Kosuke Fukudome's .949 OPS in the same span, or the emergence of Randy Wells in the rotation. Rookie Jake Fox, Ramirez's likely long-term replacement should he miss substiantial time down the stretch, is also hitting quite well (.297/.343/.576 with eight homers in 134 PAs this year) and playing at least comparable defense to Ramirez (check Ramirez's UZR vs. Fox's UZR).

It's certainly possible that Fox's production will drop off as pitchers see more of him in his rookie season, and since Ramirez has hit well (though without some of his power) since his return there's no reason to push him out of the lineup. Still, the Cubs have enough depth right now for Lou Piniella to play it slow with his slugger and try to keep him as healthy as possible for a stretch run.