Ortiz back this weekend, Manny says knee sore

Help is on the way for the Boston Red Sox in the form of David Ortiz.

The Sox expect to activate Ortiz before Friday's game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Ortiz, who hasn't played since May because of a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, has spent the last week rehabbing at the Red Sox Class AAA Pawtucket and AA Portland affiliates.

"It will be good to have another guy in the lineup who can swing it," said Kevin Youkilis.

"To get him back," said J.D. Drew, "will be like making a big deal at the (non-waiver trading) deadline."

"David will get a real nice ovation," predicted Mike Lowell, "as he should. Hopefully, he'll hit for us like he did in Pawtucket (where Ortiz hit three homers in as many games last week)."

Ortiz was hitting .252 with 13 homers and 52 RBI before injuring his wrist on a swing in Baltimore on May 31. Lowell pointed out that with Ortiz's return to the lineup, the Red Sox can put a legitimate run-producer -- either Lowell, Drew or Youkilis -- seventh in the batting order.

"That puts so much pressure on other teams," he said of the batting order's depth. "It can only be to our advantage."

To make room for Ortiz's activation, it's expected that Boston will return Brandon Moss to Pawtucket. Moss did not get an at-bat on the six-game West Coast swing, appearing in only one as a pinch runner.

Elsewhere, Manny Ramirez surprised the Red Sox Wednesday morning when he reported to Safeco Field and told manager Terry Francona that he couldn't play because of a sore right knee.

"He showed up this morning, I wasn't ready for that," Francona said. "He said his right knee hurts."

Francona jokingly blamed the flare-up on Ramirez's recent run-in with the law.

"The jaywalking," said Francona, "if you do it right, you won't hurt your knee."

Ramirez said the knee had been hampering him some for the last week.

"I've just been trying to play it out," he said. "I decided it was time to give it a rest."

Asked if he would be ready to return to the lineup tomorrow when the Sox begin a key weekend showdown with the Yankees, Ramirez responded: "I don't know; I'm day-to-day at this point."

Ramirez spent a portion of the morning singing karaoke into a makeshift microphone -- a rolled-up magazine -- and put out a tip cup for teammates and reporters.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)