Alfonso Soriano could be taken out of the leadoff spot for the Chicago Cubs due to excessive sucking. He was recently benched for two days and went 0-for-5 upon his return.

”We’ll probably make some adjustments in our lineup [today],” manager Lou Piniella said of Soriano’s continuing struggles. ”We’ll leave it at that.

”Soriano will start hitting. I have confidence in the young man and feel he’ll hit. I have all the confidence in the world in him. We need to get him jump-started somehow.”

Over his last 36 games, Soriano has been hitting .173. Some baseball experts think that’s pretty crappy for any spot in the lineup, let alone leadoff.

”If [Piniella] thinks that, he’s the manager. It’s just more important to be available for the game,” Soriano said. ”It’s fine. The most important thing is to be available to play.”

When asked about his prolonged slump, he said ”It’s been very tough. I can remember batting down in the lineup with the Yankees [his first organization]. I’m trying to hit the ball to right field so I can get comfortable at the plate again. But I like to play this game. We’ll see what happens. Sooner or later I have to come back to do what I have to do.”

Rookie Sam Muld, who hit leadoff while Soriano was benched, would take his place.