Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramírez appears to have avoided major injury and is considered day-to-day after leaving Sunday’s spring training game against the Athletics because of a sore left shoulder, manager Stephen Vogt said Monday.
“He’s doing much better today,” Vogt said of Ramírez, who jammed his shoulder while sliding into third base. “Hosey came out of the game with some shoulder soreness, tightness. But he’s feeling much, much better today, so we’re going to reassess him day by day. He should be just fine in a few days.”
Ramírez was 1-for-2 in the game, which Cleveland won 12-6. He doubled in the second inning, then stole third base. Carter Kieboom pinch hit for him in the fourth, after Ramírez told Vogt he needed to come out of the game.
According to Vogt, Ramírez had some inflammation in his shoulder Sunday but did not undergo imaging.
“[Ramírez] was evaluated postgame,” Vogt said. “The big factor was going to be, ‘How does he feel coming in today?’ And he felt much better.”
Ramírez was not in the lineup for Monday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, but that was also the case for most of Cleveland’s regulars.
A seven-time All-Star who has played his entire 13-year career in Cleveland, Ramírez finished third in AL MVP voting last season after batting .283 with 30 homers and 85 RBIs. He is a lifetime .279 hitter with 285 home runs and 949 RBIs.
Ramírez, 33, signed a seven-year, $175 million contract this offseason — the largest in franchise history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
