The Cleveland Guardians will have to soldier on without Jose Ramirez for what is expected to be an extended absence.
Ramirez hurt his hand during Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers and underwent testing after the contest at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Results showed that Ramirez had fractured his left hamate bone.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters Saturday that the team would “know more” after additional testing, but stated that the fracture had already been “confirmed.”
“We’re working through the logistics of what the next steps are, so we’ll know more tomorrow or the next day. You know these things can get complicated, but yeah, I mean, they confirmed that it is a hamate fracture.”
Ramirez was spotted wearing a hand splint as he faced the media. The Dominican third baseman reportedly did not have an interpreter around but was seemingly “in good spirits” despite the diagnosis.
According to sports injury expert Dr. Jesse Morse, the injury Ramirez suffered typically takes at least six weeks to recover from. He added that Ramirez was likely to have his power at the plate muted until at least next season.
It’s going to be a rare stint on the injured list for Ramirez, who was the only Guardians player to appear in all of Cleveland’s 71 games thus far. The 7-time All-Star has played in at least 152 games in each of the last five seasons.
Through 71 games, Ramirez has batted .238 with 10 home runs, 33 RBIs, and an AL-best 24 stolen bases.
