Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, a perennial All-Star, is set to be placed on the injured list after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand during Saturday’s 3-1 home victory over the Detroit Tigers.
The injury occurred during a swing, and Ramirez was pulled from the game when the sixth inning began.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt spoke about the situation after the final out. “He had a similar injury, I think, to his right hand a few years ago,” Vogt said. “He tried to go back out. He knew the position we were in, grabbed his glove and said, ‘Maybe I can still play defense,’ but he couldn’t squeeze his glove. Hosey wanted to get back out there to help us win that game. He just couldn’t.”
The 33-year-old Ramirez has been selected to the All-Star Game in seven of the past nine seasons, including each of the last five consecutive years. His current campaign has been below his usual standard, however, as he is batting .239 — his lowest average since 2015 — with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs across 72 games this season.
Over his 14-year career with Cleveland, Ramirez has appeared in 1,681 regular-season games, compiling a .278 batting average along with 295 home runs and 982 RBIs.
Hamate bone fracture surgery typically requires a recovery period of anywhere from four to eight weeks.
Saturday was a particularly rough day for the Guardians on the health front. Outfielders Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez also left the game early — DeLauter with a right rib contusion and Martinez with a left foot bruise.
