"Manager Joe Maddon initially had DH Manny Ramirez in Wednesday's lineup but changed his mind, saying he wanted to give him a break because he feels the veteran slugger is pressing, trying to "shoulder too much of the burden" for a struggling offense.

Ramirez, 38, ended up pinch-hitting in the eighth of the Rays' 5-1 loss to the Angels, flying out to right to make him 1-for-17 (.059) this season.

His day off today won't be hitting related, however, as Maddon said he will miss the series opener in Chicago to tend to a personal matter. Maddon said it's connected to Ramirez's absence last Wednesday, when Ramirez said he was in South Florida taking care of something with his kids. Maddon said Ramirez will return to the lineup Friday.

Ramirez wasn't surprised to hear boos after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Tuesday, saying he has been there before and "it's all good." He said he doesn't feel like he's pressing but acknowledged he's swinging at bad pitches.

Maddon said the fact that Ramirez is chasing pitches indicated to him he's trying too hard, and he conveyed that to him in a pregame conversation.

"With guys like him, I think sometimes we forget, and I mean this in a manner that I hope people understand, it's not easy to be him sometimes," Maddon said. "There's a lot going on with his guy. He will be a Hall of Famer. He's in the latter part of his career. So, you can have different kind of moments mentally.""