Cubs Third Baseman Ramirez to Rehab with Chiefs this Weekend

PEORIA, IL- The Peoria Chiefs in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs have announced that injured Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez will rehab with the Chiefs this weekend. His rehab appearance will begin Friday in Kane County and conclude at O'Brien Field on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. against Beloit.

Coming off a stellar 2008 season when he received the Hank Aaron Award as the most outstanding offensive performer in the National League, Ramirez got off to another hot start in 2009. In 18 games leading up to his shoulder injury, the two-time NL All-Star hit .364 with five homers and 16 RBIs. Overall in his career spanning 12 seasons, the seventh-year Cubs third baseman holds a .285 average and has clubbed 253 homers while driving in 897 runs and tallying 1,430 hits. Ramirez was acquired by the Cubs in July of 2003 along with outfielder Kenny Lofton from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for infielder Bobby Hill. In that season, the right-handed hitting slugger helped lead the Cubs to their first division title in 14 seasons and their first postseason series win since 1908. It is not known how many at-bats Ramirez will take each game so fans are encouraged to show up early to each contest.

On Saturday, tickets for both the seating bowl and lawn are only $5. Special single game tickets are also available in the Stadium Club (1st Base Suite Level Party Deck) for $10 each. Wait service and a cash bar will be available in the party deck. Advance reservations requested, limited space available). Also on Saturday there are a limited number of luxury suite seats are available for $30 per ticket and includes an all-you-can-eat buffet, call 309-680-4010 for more details.

On Sunday at 2:00 p.m., a limited number of special single game tickets are also available in the Friendly Confines (3rd Base Suite Level Party Deck) and Stadium Club (1st Base Suite Level Party Deck) for $30 each including an all-you can eat buffet. Also on Sunday there are a limited number of luxury suite seats are available for $30 per ticket and includes an all-you-can-eat buffet, call 309-680-4010 for more details.

The ZOOperstars will be making their second appearance at O'Brien Field Saturday to entertain the crowd. The ZOOperstars are one of the prominent entertainment acts in professional sports and they performed last season at the Wrigley Field game and have been seen on NBC's "America's Got Talent. After the game, stick around at O'Brien Field and get a prime seat to watch downtown Peoria fireworks.

On Sunday kids 12 and under eat free and kids can run the bases after the game while the Chiefs players sign autographs. It is also Carnival Day at O'Brien Field and gates open at 1:00 p.m.

Ramirez is the second Cubs player to rehab for the Chiefs in 2009 following Angel Guzman's one inning of work on Tuesday at Kane County. The rehab list since the affiliation change in 2005 includes: Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood (2005, 2006 & 2007), Mark Prior, Juan Mateo, Wade Miller, Scott Williamson, Henry Blanco, Scott Eyre and Jon Lieber.