Guardians lose All-Star 3B José Ramírez to IL with fractured left hamate bone

1 month ago 7

The Cleveland Guardians earned a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon in a game that drew attention for the return of AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

Unfortunately for the Guardians, they suffered a far bigger loss with All-Star third baseman José Ramírez suffering a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and going on the injured list.

He's expected to be sidelined for at least a month, though Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said the team will know more on Sunday. Injuries like this can take six to eight weeks to properly heal after surgery.

Ramírez sustained the injury during the fifth inning on a popout to Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler in foul territory. A scan of Ramírez's left hand confirmed the fracture.

"It was the swing on the pop up, and he felt it," Vogt said after the game, via WEWS reporter Mason Horodyski. "He had a similar injury, I think, to the right hand a few years ago."

"He tried to go back out. He knew the position we were in, grabbed his glove," Vogt added. "He said, 'Maybe I can at least play defense,' and couldn't squeeze his glove."

Losing Ramírez takes an MVP-caliber bat out of the Guardians' lineup, though his early performance was below his usual output. So far this season, he's posted a .238/.339/.415 slash average with 10 home runs, 17 doubles, 33 RBI and 24 stolen bases. But in June, he's batted .293 with an .838 OPS in 44 plate appearances.

Ramírez also provides excellent defense at third base for Cleveland. Advanced metrics credit him with 2 Defensive Runs Saved and 5 Outs Above Average in the field this season. Daniel Schneemann, who hit a home run off Skubal on Saturday, will likely take over at third base in Ramírez's absence.

Most importantly, the Guardians will be without their top offensive player while battling with the resurgent Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central. Cleveland has a half-game lead over Chicago after its win, while the White Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-1.

Players who sustained similar injuries during spring training include New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday. Each of them took at least a month to return to the lineup, with Carroll needing about a month to recover, while Holliday took longer.

The Guardians also lost two additional players to injury on Saturday. Chase DeLauter left the game after suffering a right rib contusion from a collision with the right-field wall. And Angel Martínez sustained a contusion after fouling a pitch off his left foot. The Guardians did not update the status of either player after the game.

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