Slumping Griffey joins Konerko on bench

When the White Sox acquired Ken Griffey Jr. from Cincinnati on July 31, many believed his presence would send slumping first baseman Paul Konerko to the bench.

On Saturday against the Red Sox, both Griffey and Konerko were out of the lineup, as Nick Swisher played first base and DeWayne Wise started in center field for the first time since Griffey arrived.

Manager Ozzie Guillen said Griffey asked out of the lineup due to soreness in his leg. But since his first night in a Sox uniform, when he went 2-for-3 and drove in 2 runs at Kansas City, Griffey has gone 2-for-17 at the plate.

"We brought Junior to pick up some slack," Guillen said. "He can pick up (Jim) Thome. I can give a break to (Jermaine) Dye. I've got three positions there that I can play around with every day."

Guillen doesn't think Griffey is feeling any pressure to live up to expectations in his new home. When he left the Cincinnati Reds, Griffey had a 12-game hit streak.

"I don't think so because we made it clear to him that he's not coming here to be the hero, to make us win or to be 'The Man,'" Guillen said. "He came here to help the guys get better. People in Chicago who thought he was gonna be the savior, they're wrong.

"Junior is gonna make this ballclub better, yes. He's just another player like everybody else - obviously a Hall-of-Famer and famous. But to me it's just another guy on the 25-man roster that I can use."

Job lost and found: Juan Uribe lost his job at second base to rookie Alexei Ramirez. But White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen made it clear that as long as Joe Crede is out with a back injury, Uribe is his third baseman and Josh Fields is back to being a prospect for the future.

"He earned that spot," Guillen said. "He lost the second base job and Uribe took it like a man. He took it like a real pro and I was proud of him."

Uribe made his eighth straight start at third base on Saturday against Boston. He began the game batting .231 for the season, but went 4-for-5 the previous two nights, then reached on a bunt single in the fifth inning to set up the Sox' first run.

"When Uribe's hot, he can carry a ballclub," Guillen added. "When he's cold, you want to kill him. ... I like the way he's playing."

Around the horn: Before Saturday's game, the White Sox paid tribute to comedian Bernie Mac on the scoreboard, then played Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" over the loudspeakers. The Chicago native died Friday at age 50. ... The Sox' Triple A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, got a taste of the majors on Saturday night, playing Pawtucket at Boston's Fenway Park.