Manny Ramirez Returns to Oakland's Lineup A bat in his hands and a smile on his face, Manny Ramirez bounded through the Oakland Athletics" clubhouse in Phoenix on Saturday hollering: "I'm back in the lineup! I'm back in the lineup! Yes, Manny is back. Ramirez, the 39-year-old slugger with the long dreadlocks and the red do-rag, is trying to return to the major leagues a year after retiring from the Tampa Bay Rays rather than serve a 100-game suspension for a second positive drug test. He's soaking it all in this time, too. "I'm just blessed to be here and playing the game that I love," he said. His passion shows in his work ethic and the way he interacts with his new teammates, especially the Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes. Ramirez was excited to return to the Athletics" lineup this weekend after spending a few days hitting in the team's minor league camp with Cespedes, who made his spring training debut against the Cincinnati Reds and had a home run, a single and a walk. Ramirez, who was 0 for 3, says he is eager to go back about proving he still has some pop at the plate. "I'm back, I feel great," he said before his first game since he was scratched from the lineup Wednesday with lower back stiffness. Ramirez, a 12-time All-Star, signed a minor league deal last month that is worth $500,000 if he is added to Oakland's big-league roster. He is allowed to participate in spring training games and exhibition games scheduled in Japan, but he must serve a 50-game suspension before he can play in the regular season should he make the club. BURNETT BACK IN CAMP Pitcher A. J. Burnett returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates" camp in Bradenton, Fla., eight days after having surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone. Burnett, who was injured on Feb. 29 when he fouled a ball off his right eye during a bunting drill, has been cleared to resume workouts but is expected to miss two to three months. "There's not much I could have done, other than pull the bat back," Burnett said. You can't look back at it. I had my day of tears, lying in the hotel room wondering why it happened. Burnett, 35, was traded to the Pirates from the Yankees at the beginning of spring training. CHIPPED TOOTH FOR ORIOLE Outfielder Nolan Reimold returned to the Baltimore Orioles" clubhouse, saying he had a chipped tooth a day after being hit by a pitch in the jaw. Reimold said his left jaw was a little swollen, but otherwise he had no ill effects from a fastball thrown by Tampa Bay's Alex Cobb in Port Charlotte, Fla. Reimold said he expected to be back on the field in a few days. CARPENTER TO MISS A START The St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter will miss his scheduled start Monday because of stiffness in his neck. Carpenter, who turns 37 next month, was 11-9 last year, then went 4-0 in the postseason, including a victory over Texas in Game 7 of the World Series. ETHIER SITS OUT Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier was scratched from the lineup against Seattle because of mild back stiffness, though the problem is not considered serious. VERLANDER TO OPEN Tigers Manager Jim Leyland announced that the American League most valuable player and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander would start on opening day, April 5 against the Boston Red Sox at Detroit. "I just assumed everybody figured that," Leyland said.