José Ramírez goes 2-for-5, steals base

Ramírez was 12-for-61 (.197) with 11 runs, four RBI and five steals in 18 games since returning from the injured list entering play Saturday. The 33-year-old third baseman got the day off Friday and came back with a strong day at the plate Saturday. Ramírez had a double and scored in the first inning and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Ramírez is hitting .232 with a .717 OPS and 38 RBI on the year.

Ramírez is drawing walks but has just two hits over his last four games since his last day off on Saturday. With Angel Genao up and Travis Bazanna and Brayan Rocchio playing well, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Guardians continued to give Ramírez more rest than usual. Genao is in there against RHP Michael King today.

Ramírez singled in a run in the first inning prior to the rain delay. He later came up as the tying run in the ninth inning and flew out to center field to drive in a run. Rhys Hoskins followed with a fly out of his own to end it. The Guardians have lost seven out of their last nine games and Ramírez has really struggled during this stretch while dealing with wrist inflammation, but hopefully Sunday is the start of a turnaround. This was his first multi-hit game since July 29.

Ramírez played the last two days after missing games Tuesday and Wednesday with left wrist inflammation, but three straight is too much right now, apparently. Angel Genao is playing third base tonight, and Travis Bazzana, who figures to do more sitting against lefties with Genao up, remains at second base versus southpaw Anthony Kay.

Ramírez is officially day-to-day with left wrist inflammation. It’ll be rookie Angel Genao taking over at the hot corner in his major-league debut on Wednesday night. Fantasy managers aren’t completely out of the woods regarding a potential injured list trip for Ramírez, but things seem a bit more optimistic at this juncture.

It certainly seems like franchise cornerstone José Ramírez is headed back to the injured list with inflammation in his surgically repaired left wrist. However, that hasn’t been confirmed. Genao is an interesting prospect because he’s adept at making contact, makes excellent swing decisions and boasts slightly above-average pop. The 22-year-old switch-hitting infielder launched two homers during Tuesday’s contest at Triple-A Columbus and is hitting .300/.401/.474 with 13 round-trippers and 11 steals in 96 games in the upper minors this season. He’ll presumably get the call for Wednesday’s contest against the Mets as Cleveland continues to push even more metaphorical chips into the center of the table in an effort to win the AL Central. Genao is worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats based on his talent alone.

It sounds like there’s optimism that Ramírez won’t miss too much time, but that’s hardly ever a guarantee. It’s the same wrist that he underwent hamate surgery on earlier this summer. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. There should be some additional clarity on his status later this week.

It’s likely just a little extra rest after the Guardians played 12 innings yesterday. Gabriel Arias is batting seventh and playing third base against LHP Shane McClanahan.

Being activated somewhat surprisingly and not playing in a single rehab game after breaking his hamate bone about six weeks ago, Ramírez wasted no time making an impact in his return from the injured list. He singled in the first inning, tagged to second base on a fly ball, and then came around to score. He also legged out an infield single in the second that pushed another run across. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though. Ramírez made a throwing error to start the eighth that opened the door for a big Twins rally and he grounded out with the bases loaded to end the bottom of that inning. Regardless, it’s great news for the Guardians and fantasy managers alike that Ramírez is back.

Ramírez was placed on the IL with a fractured hamate bone on June 16th, so he has missed just over a month and will be right back out on the field for the Guardians. We could see a bit of a power dip in the first few weeks back, but Ramírez has always hit for power thanks to how often he pulls the ball in the air and not impressive raw exit velocities, so perhaps he can survive the recovery from hamate surgery better than others. Regardless, he should be back in all fantasy lineups.