PHOENIX — Manny Ramirez felt good running the bases, and now he's ready to test his hamstring in the outfield.

A day after hitting his first home run of spring training, Ramirez started in left field and batted third for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. He singled in his first at-bat.

Ramirez had been kept from playing in the field since he aggravated his sore left hamstring chasing down a double against the Colorado Rockies on March 15, his only other game in left this spring. He missed six games before returning for two as the designated hitter.

"I guess I do have some trepidation," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "You have to do it at some point. He's ready to do it. He's been down longer than he wanted to be. He has no restrictions. You have to hope for the best."

Ramirez, who signed a two-year, $45 million contract on March 4, hit a home run against Seattle on Tuesday. He had two hits in seven at-bats entering Wednesday.

Torre said he hadn't talked to Ramirez about playing in the field.

"It's fruitless, anyway," he said. "I'm out there watching him in batting practice, and he's running all over the place. I know he's smart enough to understand not to push the envelope. He wanted to go out and play yesterday. He's been doing it (DHing) because that is what we wanted."