Cubs' Ramirez hopes to be back by Thursday

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez had a cortisone shot on his left shoulder Tuesday morning, and he'll be out until later this week.

"Hopefully Thursday, but Friday for sure," Ramirez said before the Cubs played the Phillies on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

Ramirez was out from early May through early July with a dislocated left shoulder. He felt pain Friday in Colorado and had to come out of the game. He hasn't seen action since.

"In Colorado, I tried, but it was just too painful," he said. "That's why Lou (manager Piniella) took me out of the game."

The biggest problem, according to Ramirez, comes when he swings the bat.

"Every time I swing and miss, when I finish my swing, I finish high, with my left shoulder up," he said. "That's a tough thing."

Ramirez has been the Cubs' most consistent and productive offensive force in recent years, and the team misses his bat when he's out. In 43 games this year, he is batting .317 with 9 homers, a 385 on-base percentage and a .543 slugging percentage.

He said the cortisone shot is aimed at calming down the inflammation in the shoulder. He all but ruled out postseason surgery.

"That's a longshot," he said. "I don't think I'm going to have to. You have surgery if you feel like your shoulder is slipping out."

Jake Fox started at third base in place of Ramirez on Tuesday. When asked if he came back too soon, Ramirez said no. He also said he'd continue to swing hard and dive for groundballs. The injury happened when Ramirez dived for a ball in Milwaukee.

"They didn't rush me," he said. "I just wanted to be back and play. We're in a pennant race, and I wanted to be back. I felt pretty good two weeks ago, and all of a sudden it started to hurt. It happens."