Aramis could make return during homestand

MILWAUKEE -- There's an outside chance that Aramis Ramirez could rejoin the team during this eight-game homestand, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Monday.

Ramirez has been on the disabled list since May 13 with a left hamstring injury, but has been throwing and swinging a bat in recent days. He has been running at 60-70 percent, Roenicke said.

"Everything he's doing so far is really good," Roenicke said.

Roenicke said he was trying to convince Ramirez to go on a Minor League rehab assignment. The veteran third baseman refused to go last year when he was ready to come off the disabled list.

"I'm trying to talk him into going out for a couple of days and he can get some swings," Roenicke said.

Last year, Ramirez refused to go on the rehab assignment under a rule in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He still batted .350 in his first 12 games back from his knee injury last year.

"These guys that have played for awhile don't like to do it," Roenicke said of going on a rehab assignment. "If you're out a month or two months, it's a different story. They feel like they can step in there and do the job. Sometimes they do and most of the time they don't."

If Ramirez again refuses to go on a rehab assignment, Roenicke said the team would tailor a program at Miller Park for him to practice in game-like conditions.