Ramirez makes a short stop

Hanley Ramírez sat in the Red Sox clubhouse yesterday, clutching a bat and joking with David Ortiz.

Someday, Ramírez hopes, this will be his pregame routine.

For now, though, the minor league hopeful will have to settle for visits like yesterday's, which came on an off day for his Double A Portland Sea Dogs.

Ramírez, who played with the parent club during spring training, has already been embraced by his prospective teammates. He seemed relieved when Ortiz twice tried to shield the 21-year-old from the media he attracted. Ortiz grabbed him from behind while telling reporters to ''take it easy on him. He's just a kid."

Edgar Renteria, who spent considerable time with Ramírez in Fort Myers, Fla., said he is such a fan of the young shortstop he would be willing to change positions if Ramírez is called up.

Being with the team again, Ramírez said, is an opportunity to learn from players such as Renteria and Ortiz.

''They've been around the big leagues for a long time and they know what happens out there," he said. ''It makes me excited. You know, I want to play right now. I don't want to go back [to Portland]."

Manager Terry Francona didn't know Ramírez was coming until he saw him in the clubhouse. Ramírez returned to the Sea Dogs' lineup June 22 after a 10-day stint on the disabled list for a mild lower back strain, and still his seven triples are tied for the Eastern League lead.

During spring training, Ramírez hit .389 in 18 at-bats. His seven hits (including two doubles) made Francona think Ramírez might be better than he expected.

''There's not a lot he can't do. He likes to play the game. It's much more telling when they do things in their season. Down here sometimes it's easy to get hits," Francona said at spring training. ''Even when we place him in situations he's not used to, like pinch hitting. In [batting practice] he's shown power to all fields."

Signed out of his native Dominican Republic in 2000, Ramírez has remained in the farm system partly because he needed time to mature. After his 2002 season with the Lowell Spinners, he was sent home early from the fall instructional league for cursing at an assistant trainer. In May 2003, Ramírez flipped off the crowd while playing with the Augusta GreenJackets and was given an eight-day demotion.

Ramírez says he's grown up, and it seems he has. He was named the 2004 Red Sox minor league player of the year with Single A Sarasota.

Speaking during spring training this year, Francona said the maturity issues have been resolved.

''Whatever they were he's certainly gotten past them, and as an organization rather than hold a grudge you try to fix it and move on. You don't hold it against him," he said.

Moving on is something Ramírez would like to do -- that is, from Portland to Pawtucket and then to Boston.

He's batting .269 with 61 hits in 227 at-bats for the second-place Sea Dogs (39-33) this season, with 10 doubles, 22 RBIs, and a team-high 16 steals. Since teammate Dustin Pedroia was promoted to Pawtucket last week, Ramírez should be Portland's most valuable player. He was recently chosen to play in the All-Star Futures Game in Detroit July 10.

Ramírez said this year he is focusing on consistency -- from his defense to his swing. Francona said his progress this season has been ''fantastic."