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Manny likely to play

E-mail|Link|Comments () Posted by David Lefort, Boston.com Staff May 10, 2006 12:46 PM

Despite leaving last night’s game with a right knee injury, Manny Ramirez is expected to be in tonight’s starting lineup, manager Terry Francona said today on Boston sports radio station WEEI.

Francona said he had penciled Ramirez into the lineup tonight, but will check with him before the game to see how his knee was feeling. Ramirez injured the knee last night and was lifted from the game in the sixth inning.

''His right knee was kind of grinding a little bit, was kind of tender," Francona said last night. ''He had said something the inning before and at that point . . . we ended up taking him out to go put ice on it."

How did Ramirez injure himself?

''I don't know," Francona said last night. ''Grinding might not be the right word. It was just sore."

Francona added today that Willie Harris would start in center field tonight instead of Wily Mo Pena.

More tidbits from Francona’s radio interview:

Coco Crisp’s rehab has been set back about three days because Crisp has been feeling “under the weather.”

Rehabbing reliever David Riske will throw in Pawtucket today.

David Wells will throw an “aggressive” side session today, and a simulated game this weekend at Fenway. At last word, he was targeted to return during the Yankees series toward the end of the month (May 22-24).

Content from today's Red Sox notebook by Globe reporter Chris Snow was used in this report.