Alexei Ramirez Benched by Ozzie Guillen - Jayson Nix will Play Shortstop

A few weeks back in one of our fantasy baseball articles, I professed my faith in The Cuban Missile turning around his dismal start and recapturing his rookie year magic.

Yeah, umm…that hasn’t happened.

And while it’s still early, the going just got a lot tougher for Alexei Ramirez as White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has benched him in favor Jayson Nix, a guy who hasn’t played shortstop since 2001.

Here’s today’s Wallow in White Sox Misery Link of the Day, courtesy of Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times:

LOTD: Alexei Ramirez sits; Jose Contreras next? — (Sun Times, Joe Cowley)

‘It’s not a rest,” Guillen said. ”I always tell my players, give yourself a chance, get good at-bats. But when you see one at-bat after another after another after another, and no results, no adjustments…

”We talked to Alexei a few times. I don’t mind 0-for-4, I don’t mind struggle, I don’t mind a slump. But how you are in that slump, do something about it. I need some offense, and that’s why I’m going to put Nix out there.”

Guillen was asked if the move was temporary or long-term and couldn’t give an answer. Nix, and Ramirez to an extent, will answer that question in the next week.

”There’s one thing about Nix,” Guillen said. ”I never fall in love with any players until they show me they can play in the big leagues. But he’s got two games, and every at-bat, this kid fights.

”He might not get a hit, but he will fight.”

I still think Alexei Ramirez will turn it around have a good season. I went to two games when the White Sox were in Texas and he had a couple of definite hang-wiff-’ems in which he made great contact but just hit it right at people. I think as much as Ozzie is upset at Alexei, and as much as he wants to shock Alexei into taking a better approach to the plate, he is also using this as a chance to send a message to the entire time: start producing or your job is on the line.

Kudos to Ozzie. The season already feels a bit like it’s slipping away as the 2009 White Sox struggle to find an identity. After reading stories over the past couple weeks wondering if Ozzie has gone soft, it’s nice to see our Ozzie back. My feeling after the final game of the Texas series, which was on ESPN, was that it looked like the Sox just wanted to get out of Dallas and get back home. That’s never a good feeling to have about your team.

Hopefully Ozzie’s Tuesday outburst and his benching of Alexei Ramirez will send a few shock waves through the clubhouse and help us get this team-wide slump turned around.

A few more White Sox links: