Ramirez on disabled list as Cubs bring up Tracy

MILWAUKEE - The Cubs and third baseman Aramis Ramirez talked about the disabled list earlier, but Ramirez thought he could play through the pain near his left thumb.

When it was clear that was no longer possible, it was time to change course. That's why the Cubs put Ramirez on the DL Wednesday with a left-thumb contusion. They recalled infielder Chad Tracy from Class AAA Iowa, and Tracy will platoon at third with Jeff Baker.

"I just want to give it some time, just try to get it 100 percent and get back to doing what I was doing," Ramirez said. "It's hard to hit when you're 100 percent. It's even tougher when you're not. I tried to play through it. It didn't work. It's time to let it heal now.

"We talked about it (the DL) before, but I didn't want to do it," he said. "I thought that I was good enough to play. This is the right time to do it. If I can't swing the bat and contribute to the team, there's no sense for me to be playing."

Happy to be here: Chad Tracy was hot at Iowa, batting .396 with 5 homers, 8 doubles and 18 RBI in 26 games after being sent down in early May. Tracy made the Cubs out of spring training as a nonroster man.

"I swung the bat well down there," he said. "I played every day and did what I had to do. You continually have to reprove yourself in this game. I went down there and took some good at-bats, had some success and hopefully opened some eyes."

Youth served: With Stephen Strasburg making a big major-league debut Tuesday, Cubs manager Lou Piniella said young players would play an even bigger role in the game. He cited the Cubs' own Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin, James Russell and Jeff Stevens.

"I love managing young kids," Piniella said. "They bring enthusiasm. They want to learn. As along as they can handle it from a mental standpoint, why not? I think you have to bring them along a little slower. With Castro, we just put him at shortstop, and he's playing. With Colvin, truthfully, I'd like to do the same thing. I've got major-league outfielders here. Five. It's a tougher situation. They're all playing well."

Draft ends: The amateur draft ended Wednesday with the Cubs making 50 selections. On the final day, they took Northwestern University catcher Chad Noble in the 37th round.

They also selected two high-school infielders: Eric Paulson from Fremd in the 48th round and Eric Jagielo from Downers Grove in the 50th.