Alexei Ramirez’s progress was slow in the early part of the season, but things appear to be clicking now as he extended a four-game extra-base hit streak with a homer on Tuesday night. As manager Ozzie Guillen looks for a spark to his struggling lineup, he may also find a way to rid the team of Orlando Cabrera’s attitude or Juan Uribe’s weak stick.

Ramirez made a splash with a hot spring, but stumbled out of the gates to the tune of a .138 batting average in April. But, he has turned things around with a nine-game hot streak, over which he has hit .429 (15-for-35) with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 runs and 5 RBIs. Ramirez has lifted his season average to a respectable .275, to go along with 10 extra-base hits and a .431 slugging percentage.

The Chicago Daily Herald’s Scot Gregor had this to say about disgruntled shortstop Orlando Cabrera’s future with the team and how it could affect Ramirez:

White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera is as good as gone, either during the season through a trade or at the end, when he’s eligible for free agency.

His selfish actions and me-first attitude have left him isolated from the rest of the team, and the Sox would probably be smart to start checking on trade interest right now.

Fantasy Spin
The 26-year old “Cuban Missile” has a wiry, athletic frame and five-tool abilities as a hitter, defender and runner. His skills translate to 15-homer, 15-stolen base type potential over a full season, which is more than enough to stand out in a shallow pool of free agent middle infielders. Ramirez is a perfect candidate to jump on for a short-term hot streak because he does have the talent to provide long-term gains.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.