Cleveland star third baseman Jose Ramirez broke a bone in his left hand on a swing Saturday and will be sidelined for an indefinite period, a massive blow to the two-time defending American League Central champions.
Ramirez sustained a fractured left hamate bone leading off the fifth inning in the Guardians’ 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The team didn’t update the condition of the 33-year-old until after the game, when manager Stephen Vogt confirmed the break.
A seven-time All-Star, Ramirez is the face of Cleveland’s franchise and the Guardians’ most indispensable player. Losing him for any time is crippling.
Ramirez, a switch-hitter, suffered a fracture to his right hamate bone in 2019 — the only time he has previously been on the injured list in his career — but was out only a month following surgery after being expected to miss as much as seven weeks.
He has been struggling at the plate this season is batting .239 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs. Ramirez, who has finished in the top four in MVP voting five times, is a career .278 hitter. He holds virtually every major team record.
He could be out anywhere from four to 8 weeks.
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