Indians Place Jose Ramirez on IL With Fractured Hand
By Michael Luciano
The Cleveland Indians were just deal a major blow to their AL Central chances, as one of their hottest hitters has found himself on the injured list.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez will be placed on the 10-Day IL with a fractured hamate bone, which is located in the lower palm near the forearm. In a corresponding move, Cleveland has called up infielder Yu Chang from Triple-A Columbus.
We have a roster move:
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 25, 2019
- Placed 3B José Ramírez (fractured hamate, right hand) on the 10-day Injured List.
- Recalled INF Yu Chang from AAA Columbus.#RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/75qjYT8NFj
Ramirez is hitting .254 with 20 home runs and 24 steals this year, as far cry from the lat two years in which he finished third in AL MVP voting twice. In 2017, he racked up an unreal 85 extra-base hits (56 doubles, 29 home runs), while in 2018 he drove in 105 runs while hitting 39 home runs and stealing 34 bases.
His numbers might be down from the last few years, but he has been red-hot in the second half, as he has hit .320 with 15 home runs in the months of July and August. His defense, power, and speed will be sorely missed.
After dealing with a wrist issue, Jose Ramirez has exited the game. pic.twitter.com/iubKmW0hxK
— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) August 24, 2019
The AL Central race is far from over, but unless Chang starts hitting like no one ever expected, Ramirez's injury could be particularly crushing for the Tribe.