"Hanley Ramirez found himself in the middle of more than he bargained for on Tuesday — the Marlins lineup and fallout from a clubhouse spat that occurred one day earlier.

In an effort to ignite Ramirez and the rest of the sluggish offense, new manager Jack McKeon put the shortstop in the cleanup spot for the first time in his Major League Baseball career.

"We've just got to figure out a way to get him going," McKeon said.

His decision came one day after Ramirez was scratched from the lineup because he was the last player to show up for McKeon's first address to the team.

That provoked Logan Morrison to openly criticize Ramirez in front of the rest of the team, adding that his tardy behavior could be the reason why he is hitting just .200.

Morrison refused to confirm the outburst.

"I'd rather have what happened in the clubhouse stay in the clubhouse," Morrison said.

Ramirez said he wasn't late, that he showed up in plenty of time for the 4:30?p.m. team stretch before batting practice.

"I wasn't late [Monday]," Ramirez said. "Stretch is at 4:30 and I was there before 4:30, so I wasn't late. Some guys, they come in early. They come in at 3. I come in at 3:30 every day."

Although Ramirez wasn't late, technically speaking, players say it is an unwritten rule that they show up about 3?p.m."