Ramirez fractures left hamate in Guardians' win
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- Jose Ramirez fractured his left hamate bone on a swing leading off the fifth inning of the Guardians' 3-1 win over the Tigers, with manager Stephen Vogt confirming the break after imaging tests postgame.
- Ramirez tried to return to play defense but 'couldn't squeeze his glove,' per Vogt, and will be sidelined indefinitely.
- Ramirez suffered a similar right hamate bone fracture in 2019 — the only prior injured-list stint of his career — and missed roughly a month after surgery despite a seven-week projection.
- Cleveland also lost outfielders Chase DeLauter (bruised right rib cage after a wall collision) and Angel Martinez (bruised foot from a foul ball) in the first two innings, leaving the team without the top three hitters in its order.
- Rhys Hoskins, a first baseman who hadn't played the outfield since 2018 with Philadelphia, was shifted to left field by Vogt to plug the holes.
- Ramirez entered Saturday batting just .238 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs in a down season, a steep drop from his career .274 average and his five top-four MVP finishes.
- It's not yet known whether DeLauter and Martinez will join Ramirez on the injured list, with Vogt saying the Guardians would have more clarity 'tomorrow or the next day.'
Why it matters: Cleveland loses its franchise cornerstone — a seven-time All-Star who has finished top-four in MVP voting five times — to a hamate fracture that historically cost him a month, while the same game also sidelined two outfielders and forced first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who'd been out of the outfield since 2018, into left field. The two-time defending AL Central champions' depth and lineup construction face an immediate stress test with Ramirez out indefinitely.
